


Wild Silver

by battle_goats



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, M/M, MT Prompto Argentum, Minor Character Death, Prompto's only weakness is pretty people, and he's surrounded by them., hunter prompto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2019-06-30 11:12:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 28,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15750510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/battle_goats/pseuds/battle_goats
Summary: Prompto was never spirited away from Niflheim as a baby.  But he still makes it to Lucis.  Having been determined a defective MT, he escapes and by some miracles makes it to the wilds of Lucis.  He's taken in by Hunter Dave, thus changing both of their fates forever.





	1. Bump in the Night

**Author's Note:**

> This will likely be a series of oneshots in how Prompto grew up a hunter, and how he meets the chocobros.

David Auburnbrie never considered himself to be the family man type.  He was a hunter, and with his mother’s relationship with his aunt being what it was, he saw no reason to make a change to his situation.  So the day he drove into Meldacio HQ with a kid sitting shotgun in his beat up old truck was one no one had ever seen coming.

The blond wisp of a boy was near silent, both in voice and movement.  He only spoke when spoken to, and had difficulty grasping the concept of casual conversation.  They had met when Dave was out on a hunt. He’d been caught out too close to sunset, and he’d rushed for the nearest haven he knew of.  He had nearly been too late. In the distance, the Red Giant paced to and fro, bellowing angrily that its prey had escaped.

Dave had built a quick fire and ate some canned food warmed beside the fire.  He lay down on the rocky surface of the haven, with only his jacket to keep himself warm in the late fall night.  There was no point in staying up when all there was to do was wait for the sunrise. Sleep had been fitful, what with the daemon still pacing within near spitting distance.  But even its rumbling became background noise to his own exhaustion.

It couldn’t have been more than an hour or two when Dave was startled awake by the sound of an empty can getting kicked and rolling around.  He sat up and drew his knife from his belt. The fire made things hazy with his eyes still half asleep, but he couldn’t miss the shape of a kid crouched by the fire, as close as possible without burning, trying to warm his shaking body.  Their eyes met, and for a long moment neither of them moved. He was gangly-limbed, but so incredibly thin. He had to be a teen, or near enough to one, with shaggy blond hair that was practically brown in the low light, and covered in a layer of dirt.  In fact, the kid was nearly caked with it. The silence and stillness hung between them for moments longer.

The kid bolted.

“Wait!  Stop!” Dave cried out.  The kid was steps from the edge of the haven.  Steps from his certain death. Dave dropped his knife and got up.  The kid was stock still, unnaturally still. Dave approached and when he got close, he could hear the kid’s ragged breaths, and when he came around to face him, there was absolute panic and fear in his eyes.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.  It’s gonna be okay,” he said.  He held up his hands to show that he was unarmed.  The kid didn’t say a word. He still hadn’t moved. Standing in that mid-stride position, holding it in a way that looked unnatural but ingrained.

From the light of the fire and the glowing sigils, he watched the kid’s face take on the  pallor of someone who was about to be suddenly and violently ill. Dave side-stepped just in time for the kid to fall to his knees and wretch over the side of the haven.  Dave made a noise of disgust and pulled the collar of his t-shirt up over his nose. Whatever the kid was puking up, it smelled like death. Rotting death. He risked a glance over, and he was almost sick himself.  He didn’t know what the kid was sick with, but it looked absolutely revolting and he hoped this didn’t happen again while he was around.

The kid continued to heave long after whatever he was puking up was done coming up.  For a few moments he didn’t rise from his position, just trying to catch his breath. Dave grabbed his canteen and the only camper cup he had.  It was one of those collapsable ones made of tin. He quickly set it up and poured some water into it. The kid jumped when he approached again.  Dave held out the cup and waited for him to take it. But he looked nervous and hesitant.

“Drink.”

The kid finally reached for the cup and took a careful sip.  He looked like he was considering what he had just had before hastily guzzling down the rest of the water.  Once it was all gone, he almost looked disappointed.

Dave lowered himself to sit by the kid and reached out to take the cup back.  He refilled it and handed it back. This time the kid didn’t hesitate, but drank more slowly.  Now doubt he was horribly dehydrated and was already feeling his stomach cramping from his hasty decision earlier.

“What’s your name?” Dave asked.  The kid stared at him. His hands tightened around the cup.  He looked confused, but Dave couldn’t be sure by what.

“Name?”

“Yeah, what’re you called?  I’m Dave,” Dave said. He pointed to himself when he said it.

“My designation is NH-01987,” the kid said.  Dave stared, his thoughts racing. He hadn’t said name, he’d said “designation” and what sounded more like a serial number for a store item than a person.  Dave didn’t know what to say.

“Where are you from?” Dave finally asked.

“Niflheim.”

Somehow, Dave didn’t flinch at the word.  This kid, this kid wasn’t just a kid. He’d heard rumors of course, about Niflheim, and what sorts of things they got up to with their own citizens.  Nothing substantiated, or course. But here he had living proof. He just didn’t know what to do with him.

“Look, kid, you know where you are, right?” Dave asked.

“Yes.  I am in Lucis, Niflheim’s enemy nation, Regis Lucis Caelum is the reigning monarch.  He has one heir, Noctis Lucis Caelum. They are enemies of the empire. My orders are to -” the kid stopped, as if fighting himself, “My orders - my -”

“Hey, hey it’s okay.  You don’t have orders here.  How’d you end up in Lucis?” Dave asked.  

“I - I was designated a failure, to be terminated and recycled.  I failed my close combat drills. I ran.before I could be taken to the medical ward for termination,” the kid said.  The way he said it, it sounded so clinical and removed. Dave frowned in thought. He had no idea what to do at this point.  The kid had admitted to being a living weapon. Dave could take him to the Crown City, but god knows what would happen to him once he was in the Citadel.  Assuming they even made it that far. It wouldn’t be shocking if they just up and killed the kid. 

And Dave found that he couldn’t abide by that thought.

“Well, kid, if you’re gonna be Lucian, you’re gonna need a Lucian name,” he said.  He scooted a little closer and carefully settled his jacket over the boy’s shoulders.  Even that very brief contact made the boy flinch and stiffen. Dave apologized quietly and scooted away to give the boy some space.

Neither of them slept for the rest of the night.  They sat at the edge of the haven and watched the Red Giant pace.  They didn’t say a word further, but Dave pondered his options. He had already decided that the kid couldn’t go to the Crown City.  For one, there was no telling what the wall would do to him. Dave wasn’t a stupid man, the kid looked like he had been throwing up Scourge tainted bile.  If sitting in a haven caused this reaction, standing within the protection of the King’s wall could outright kill him. A hunter’s life was no place for a kid.  But he could hardly drop him off at some orphanage. He would never blend in. Whatever was done to him, no one would think he was a regular kid that had been traumatized by war.  He was too still, not socialized, and there was no telling how he would react to perceived danger.

It was a stupid decision, and he could already feel the phantom pain of his mother walloping him upside the head for it.  But really, the options were take the kid in himself, or leave him to try and survive the Lucian wilderness on his own. Really, it was hardly a choice.  Now the kid just needed a name.

The sky was lightening.  The sun would rise and the Red Giant would disappear with the light.  Soon, it would be safe to travel.

“Prompto,” Dave said.  He turned to look at the boy. “How does Prompto sound for a name?”

The boy opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again.

“If you don’t like it, we can come up with something else,” Dave said quickly.

“Prompto, a Lucian name meaning swift,” the boy said.  It looked like he was thinking about it, but Dave couldn’t be sure.  It was at that point that Dave realized that the boy likely wouldn’t have been encouraged to voice his opinion.

“Do you like the name?  Or do you want to be called something else?”he asked. “You - you can give me honest opinion.”

“Prompto is acceptable,” the boy said.  Dave snorted.

“A name is somethin’ your called for the rest of your life.  You’re gonna want it to be somethn’ you like. Most people don’t get to name themselves, ya know,” Dave said.  The boy sat and thought a while longer.

The sun had risen higher and the daemons were gone.  Replaced by dawning birdsong, and in the early morning light, Dave could make out bright blue, bloodshot eyes.  Underneath the dirt he was caked in, he managed to somehow be pasty and sunburned all at once. He was dressed in a ripped up hoodie and a pair of jeans that were only held up by a length of rope and tucked into boots that looked like Niflheim standard issue.

They’d have to get him new clothes, and shoes that didn’t scream he was a runaway science experiment soldier.

“Prompto is good.  I was always the fastest in my unit.  The only things I excelled in were running, and shooting drills.”

Dave tucked that information away.  While he was loath to arm the kid, Lucis wasn’t safe to go without at least a pistol.

“Well then Prompto, I say it’s time to break camp and head out.  We got a long day ahead, and what with it being almost winter, we don’t got enough daylight to get it all done.”

Dave stood and stretched.  Sitting on cold stone for so long had left him incredibly stiff.  The boy - Prompto - also stood and copied his actions. The sleeves of his hoodie slipped and Dave caught sight of a barcode tattooed on his wrist.  He added something to cover that up onto his mental shopping list. 

“From now on, you’re Prompto.  You don’t answer to designations, your name is Prompto, got it?”

“Yes, sir,” Prompto answered.  Dave nodded. They would work on everything else as it came up.  Like a half-decent cover story. Either way, he couldn’t see himself getting rid of the kid any time soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto gets a check up and a gun.

They figured out that Prompto was thirteen, and horribly malnourished, from his time as a child soldier, and while he’d been on the run. It seemed the Niflheim military held no stock in basic survival training. The kid had no idea how to build a fire, what was safe to eat in the wild, or how to locate fresh, clean water. It was either fight or die. If one was separated from their unit, it was either find their way back, or die.

The doctor in Meldacio seemed skeptical of the story Dave had spun. The kid was an orphan refugee and had managed to travel from Niflheim to Lucis on his own. He could see there was something else to the story, but didn’t press for details. They might have been crown citizens, but it wasn’t like there was a whole lot of oversight from Insomnia out in the wilds of Lucis. If Dave had felt safe enough bringing the kid to Meldacio, then clearly the kid wasn’t an immediate risk to anyone’s safety.

“Well Dave, a few good meals will see him get up to the right weight for his age. Ain’t nothin’ we can do ‘bout his height. He’s already too short for thirteen, he’ll never be especially tall,” the doctor said. Prompto was still sitting on the examination table, stock still. He had seemed loath to remove the filthy hoodie he had been wearing, but it had been a necessity. Under the bright lights of the examination room, it was easy to see why. There were ports attached to him. One just under his right collarbone, and a smaller one where neck and shoulders met, right on his spine. The doctor had said once Prompto was healthy enough, they could remove the one on his front, and with fairly minimal scarring with some skin grafts. But the one on his spine would be tricky. There was a chance they would need a surgeon from Lestallum to do it.

In general his skin was clean at least. Dave had found a slow running river and helped the kid wash all the dirt off. His hair was a bright sunshine blond underneath, and he had the makings of freckles across his nose. If not for the look of being a starvation victim, Prompto was a cute kid.

“We done here, Doc? Gotta get the meet and greet done with my Ma,” Dave said. The doctor only chuckled and nodded.

“Bring him back in two weeks so I can check his progress. I wanna get him up to a healthy weight before we think about dealing with the more serious things. Stick to that diet plan for him too.”

Dave nodded.

“Okay Prompto, time to go. Put your sweater back on,” he said. Prompto silently complied. Once that was back on, Dave helped him down from the table. In the short time they had been traveling together, Dave had figured out that Prompto had difficulty understanding directions that were phrased as suggestions. He also had a hard time differentiating when he was being addressed directly. Dave had taken to including his name in any directions he gave to keep it clear.

Prompto kept exactly two paces behind Dave as they walked out of the clinic. Despite the heavy boots he wore, he moved near silently. Dave lead the way out of the clinic and down the road to his Ma’s house. Well, their house, really. Not that he spent a whole lot of time there. His Ma was sat in her favorite rocking chair on the porch. She was knitting a pair of thermal socks when he came up the steps.

“David! Welcome back,” she said. Her eyes darted to Prompto, then back to Dave.

“Hi Ma. This is Prompto. He’s gonna be runnin’ with me for a while,” Dave said. He scratched the back of his head and waited for the explosion. The woman sniffed derisively and carried on with her knitting.

“You think huntin’ is a life for raising a kid? Even a half grown one?” she asked. Her eyes were narrow as she glared at Prompto. Dave instinctively stepped forward to shield Prompto from her gaze.

“We’ll manage. I just wanted ya to meet him. It don’t matter if you approve of me takin’ him in or not. There’s nowhere else for him to go,” Dave said.

“There’s a perfectly good orphanage in Lestallum,” Ma said. Dave shook his head.

“That ain’t a good idea, Ma. I’m takin’ him in. I’m a grown man and I can make this decision whether or not you approve.”

She only humphed and waved him away. Dave walked away from her and gently steered Prompto off the porch.

“Are you hungry, Prompto?” he asked.

“Y-yes, sir,” Prompto answered. Dave carefully placed a hand on Prompto’s shoulder to encourage the boy to walk next to him, rather than behind. Dave lead him down to what passed as the outdoor canteen for the outpost. Dave ordered him to sit in a chair, and went to speak to the cook. He returned a moment later. Prompto was sitting still again.

“It’s okay, Prompto, you can look around. I know you’re curious,” Dave said. He saw the taut line of Prompto’s shoulders relax. It hadn’t been hard to figure out that the unnatural stillness was a coping mechanism for Prompto’s natural curiosity and hyperactivity.

The cook returned a few minutes later with two bowls of dualhorn stew and a plate of freshly baked bread. Prompto was staring at the pile of horns further down. He hadn’t even blinked when the cook served them.

“Prompto, food’s here. Eat up,” Dave said. Prompto tore his attention away from the crates of helixhorns. He looked down at the bowl.

“What is it?” he asked. He glanced at Dave, clearly nervous about asking.

“It’s stew. It’s got dualhorn brisket, carrots, onions, peppers, peas and potatoes. Give it a try,” Dave said. Prompto picked up his spoon and brought a spoonful of gravy and vegetables to his mouth. He chewed the soft vegetables slowly and swallowed. Dave waited expectantly. Prompto understood that Dave wanted his opinion on things without asking.

“It’s good,” he finally said. Dave smiled and nodded and returned to his meal. They ate in silence until all that was left in Prompto’s bowl was the gravy. Dave happily showed him how to soak it all up with the bread.

“No use in letting something good go to waste,” he’d said. Prompto nodded, and understood the sentiment. Once their meals were complete, Prompto returned to his observations. The outpost was quiet for the time being. The radio crackled as a distant commercial for the Crow’s Nest played. Kenny Crow’s cartoonish voice echoed over the rock formation above them.

A sudden gunshot cracked the air and Prompto leaped from his seat. His breathing kicked up and he looked around them, wild-eyed.

“Whoa! Prompto, hey, c’mon kiddo, it’s okay,” Dave soothed. He approached slowly, his hands up and out.

“We are under attack!” Prompto cried. A couple hunters a few tables away were starting to stare.

“No, no, no. We have a shooting range here. I can show you. We’re safe here, I promise,” Dave said. He held out a hand to Prompto. The boy took it. Dave held off on frowning at how calloused Prompto’s hands were. He walked Prompto over to the makeshift shooting range. Just planks of wood holding up empty bottles for targets. There was a single hunter there, standing away from the targets, right up against the rode. He glanced at them and lowered his pistol.

“Hey there, Dave,” he greeted. His hair was gray, one of the few older hunters they had. Most either retired when they got married, or they died before they had the chance to go gray.

“Hello yourself, Argentum,” he nodded back. Without further gunfire, Prompto’s breathing was beginning to slow and calm down.

“Who’s the kid?”

“This is Prompto, he’ll be running with me,” he said. Argentum hummed and walked over to the bench next to the range. There he sat down and set to work servicing his pistol. Prompto watched him with rapt attention. Dave brought them closer.

“How’s your son?” Dave asked. He knew Argentum’s son lived in Insomnia, but hadn’t heard an update in a while.

“Yeah, he and his wife are still there, he bitches about the refugees often enough. Takes that damn wall for granted, that’s for sure. Gods only know what he’d do if it actually fell. Astrals forbid. And never mind those same refugees are fighting this damn war so he doesn’t have to.”

Prompto reached out as Argentum prepared to reassemble the pistol. The old man jumped at the action but relinquished his hold.

“You know how to handle a gun, son?” he asked. Prompto didn’t answer. Instead he reached for the bottle brush to clean the barrel some more, watching as gunpowder residue fell out.

“Prompto.” Dave’s voice was solid and broke him from his reverie. Prompto put everything down and stepped away.

“Nah, that’s okay. But you never answered my question. You know how to handle a gun?” Argentum asked. Dave nudged Prompto to answer.

“Yessir, I do,” he finally said. Argentum stepped away from the bench.

“I’d like to see,” he said. Prompto looked up at Dave, clearly asking permission.

“Go ahead.”

Prompto sat down and quickly fell into the muscle memory that had been ingrained in him since he was a small child. The pistol was quickly and efficiently cleaned, then reassembled. He looked up and Argentum had been timing him on his watch.

“I’ve never seen anyone do that so fast,” he said. “Can you shoot?”

“Yessir.”

By now Prompto understood the request. He had been unarmed for the months it had taken him to travel from Gralea to Lucis. To be holding the pistol felt like a relief, even though Dave had done a good job keeping him safe so far.

He stood in front of the targets and held up the pistol. Five quick, successive shots later, all five bottles sat shattered on the ground. Argentum whistled.

“That’s impressive kid. Has Dave given you a weapon yet?” he asked.

“No.”

“Take it, that’s yours now,” Argentum said. When Prompto attempted to hand the pistol back, Argentum pushed it away and handed him his extra ammunition.

“Hold on there, Argentum, didn’t you say you were gonna make that a family heirloom? Shouldn’t that be goin’ to your son?” Dave asked. Prompto now noticed the fancy filigree on the side of the barrel, and a word written in looping calligraphy that he couldn’t really read.

“The hell’s that spoiled brat gonna do with an old Crownsguard model? I’d rather it be in the hands of a greenie than go to him,” Argentum said.

“Crownsguard?” Prompto asked. He knew that word. The royal guards of the Lucis Caelum line. Their most famed officer was Marshall Cor Leonis. A one man army.

“That’s right. Back in my misbegotten youth, I was Crownsguard. I even ran with King Mors himself, Astrals rest his soul. I retired as soon as my required service contract was up and left Insomnia. I was never suited for a career like that. They let me keep my service weapon though. This here is an older Quicksilver model. The new ones are higher caliber, but she’s been my constant companion since I was eighteen. Take it, kid. I get the feeling you’re gonna do great things with her.”

Prompto nodded and thumbed the safety on. Dave gave Argentum a look he didn’t understand.

“Come on Prompto, let’s get you some clothes and a holster for that,” Dave said. He was steered off towards the general store where Dave bought him a basic hunter’s kit. Prompto traded his stolen clothes for the new ones and snuggly settled the pistol into the thigh holster belted to his leg.

“Thank you, Dave,” he said. Dave smiled at him and squeezed his shoulder gently.

“You’re welcome.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

Prompto reached up to poke at the bandages covering the skin graft on his chest.  Dave reached out and pushed his hand back down with an impatient huff.

“It won’t heal right, if you keep touchin’ it,” he said.  The surgery to remove the chest port had been a success, and five days later, the skin graft was healing well, for all of Prompto’s attempts at making it harder.

“It itches,” he complained.

“It’s supposed to.  Doc said so. Means it’s healin’ like it should,” Dave said.  They were still in Meldacio, until Prompto healed enough that a possible infection was near non-existent.  The kid’s scrawny frame had filled out some, a little thicker around his middle, but a surprising amount of muscle on his arms and legs.  He’d also gained a couple inches in height. Something that Dave is both glad for and annoyed by. Because it told him that they’re on the right track in getting Prompto healthy.  But also because he didn’t account for the possibility and all of Prompto’s pants need to be replaced. This time, he bought a few pairs that run a little long so they won’t be immediately outgrown.

Dave went back to cleaning a set of knives while Prompto read.  The discovery that Prompto could neither read, nor write had been jarring.  Dave had picked up a set of reading primers in Lestallum to get him started.  Except, he was squinting. Hard.

“How clear are those letters?” he asked.  Prompto looked up at him. He was still squinting.

“What do you mean?” Prompto asked him.  Dave reached out a hand and Prompto handed him the book.  Dave held it open.

“Can you read the letters from here?” he asked.  Prompto stared blankly at the pages before he finally shook his head.  Dave inched the book closer. “How about here?”

“No.”

They carried on doing this until the book was far too close to Prompto’s face for comfort.  Dave let out a frustrated noise and handed the book back.

“When you go to the range, can you see the bottles we use for targets at all?” he asked.  Prompto chewed on his lip.

“I can see where the light hits them,” he finally admitted.  Dave sighed and leaned against the table.

“As soon as you’re cleared to travel, we’re going to Lestallum to see an optometrist.  Hunting when you can hardly see in front of your own face is too dangerous,” he said. Prompto only nodded.

Another week dragged on until the doctor declared the skin healed enough to safely travel.  They packed up that evening and headed out early in the morning in an effort to beat the heat from the sun and meteor.

The landscape whipped by, and they arrived in Lestallum in the late morning.  Dave parked and let the way through the small city. Prompto trailed after him, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of it all.  Besides Insomnia, Lestallum was the largest city in Lucis. It was the first settlement Dave had brought Prompto to since they’d met.  And the boy was clearly overwhelmed. Dave placed a hand on Prompto’s shoulder to steer him forward.

“I know it’s a lot, but we won’t be here for very long, I promise,” he said.  Prompto nodded and allowed himself to be lead to where they needed to go.

The exam took longer than it normally would have because Prompto was afraid of everything.  The instruments, the doctor, having so many things so close to his eyes. His nails had managed to rip into the padded armrests of the examination chair.  Once it was over, Dave had treated Prompto to some curry and then ice cream for the surviving the ordeal and not harming anyone in his fear.

“I don’t like that,” Prompto said.  The glasses wouldn’t be ready for another week, but at least it was done and over with.

“I know, but you’ll have to do it every year,” Dave said.  Prompto looked up from his curry and stared.

“Every year?”

“Yep.  Your eyes can change a lot in a year.  Especially when you’re growin’ like you are.  But I’ll be there every time, okay?”

Prompto nodded slowly.  He scooped some more curry and rice in his mouth.  Prompto had developed a fondness for spicy foods once his stomach had been able to handle it.  Curries, peppers, and spicy chips were all a favorite.

“Do you want to go back to Meldacio when you finish eating, or do you wanna explore Lestallum for a bit?” Dave asked.  Prompto paused. He was getting better at making choices, but he still hesitated sometimes. Like now. He looked around at all the people, and the noise and the heat.

“Can we go back?”

“Sure.  I know it’s a lot here,” Dave said.  He gave Prompto his best comforting smile.  Prompto slowly smiled back.

He fell asleep in the car, and Dave was loathe to wake him.  Prompto still struggled to sleep through the night. From what he’d been able to glean, Prompto had lived a life on an average of three hours of sleep a night.  Now, he was allowed to sleep whenever he felt like it, and seemed determined to catch up on all the hours he’d missed. Despite the weight he had put on, it was still incredibly easy to pick Prompto up and carry him into the house.

Dave left Prompto on his bed and joined his mother in the kitchen.  She was rolling out dough for her famous meat pies.

“You’re spending an awful lot on that boy,” she said.

“He needs glasses if he wants to see clearly,” Dave said.  He sat down and carefully started filling some of the cutout rounds of dough.  Ma finished rolling and cutting the dough, and joined him in filling them.

“You need to press the seams firmly, or all the filling will explode out of it,” she said.  Dave quietly fixed the pies that needed it. He was sliding the first tray into the oven when she spoke again.

“For a long time, I didn’t think you were ready to truly head the hunters of Lucis.  And now, you’re suddenly a father. You’ve done well to balance your responsibilities to the hunters, and to Prompto.”

Dave opened his mouth to protest, he hardly considered himself Prompto’s father.  Though, everything he had done for Prompto so far was something a father would do.

“I know I don’t say it enough, but I am proud of you, David,” Ma said.  

“Thanks, Ma.”

“But you’re still not ready to lead the Lucian hunters,” Ma said.  She brandished her rolling pin at him. Dave only chuckled.

“I know, I know.  I’ve got my hands full with the duties I do have, on top of Prompto,” Dave said.  She sniffed before chasing him out of the kitchen. Dave checked on Prompto to see him starfished on his back and snoring.  Despite the sudden change to his circumstances, Prompto was certainly adapting well. Almost too well. He supposed it was only a matter of time before something went wrong.


	4. First Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things don't always go as planned.

Prompto watched the Leide speed by as they headed for Hammerhead. It was time for Prompto’s first hunt, and the voreteeth of Hammerhead were always the best place for a greenie to start.

Prompto was reading through a short chapter book, his glasses perched on his nose. The glasses made him look younger than he was, but they certainly suited him. Especially now that he wasn't squinting at everything.

“Hey, Dave?”

“Yeah?”

“What's a dad?” Prompto asked.

“It's another word for “father.” A man who takes care of their sons and daughters, keeps them safe and teaches them stuff,” Dave answered. He hoped his answer was satisfactory enough. Having to teach and explain things had never been his forte, but he was getting better at it.

“Okay.”

Prompto set his book aside and was now admiring his brand new tags. They were bright and shiny. One held his name, while the other listed his place of birth and birthdate. To keep up appearances, his birth place was listed as Meldacio. No one needed to know Prompto was in the country illegally.

“So, your birthday is coming up, do you want to do anything special?” Dave asked. He had picked a date at random the first time he had walked Prompto into the doctor's office.

It had been nearly a year since they had first met, and while Dave had never said it aloud, he saw Prompto as his own son.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we usually celebrate our birthdays, the anniversary of our births. We celebrate how we've grown, how much we've learned and accomplished in our life,” he said. Prompto hummed in thought before shrugging.

“I don't know. Can I decide later?”

“Yeah, that's fine. Oh, look, there's Hammerhead. See the sign?”

“Whoa!”

Prompto stared in awe at the sign as they approached. Dave grinned, he knew taking the northwest road in was a good idea. He pulled into the parking lot and hopped out of the truck. A hunting couple approached to greet him while Prompto stumbled out to take in the sights.

“When did you go have brats of your own, Auburnbrie?”

“Hello to you, too, Cid. Prompto, come introduce yourself,” Dave called. Prompto tore his eyes away from the weapons vendor’s truck and came up to stand next to Dave.

“Hello, I'm Prompto,” he said shyly. Cid looked him up and down and Prompto squirmed under his gaze. Cid looked up at Dave and gave him a look. Dave shrugged.

“Well, Cindy oughta meet brats her own age anyway. Cindy!”

There was a clang from the garage, and a girl in a jumpsuit and a stained cap came out. Dave glanced at Prompto and saw him staring. A bright blush stood out among his freckles.

“Hiya! The name’s Cindy!” she said brightly.

“P-Prompto,” he stuttered

“Oh boy,” Cid muttered. “You behave around my little girl now.” Prompto gave the man a confused look.

“Oh, Paw-Paw, it's okay. He don't mean nothin’ by it.”

Cid grumbled but walked away. Dave watched Prompto stutter through a conversation with Cindy. His face got redder everytime she smiled at him. The poor boy likely had no clue what was happening to him.

Dave decided not to waste anymore daylight and headed for Takka’s. The jumpy man only grinned and served Dave some cola as he looked over the various hunts.

“So, why the easy hunt?” Takka asked.

“Got my boy with me. His first hunt ever, so I'm gonna ease him into it,” Dave answered. He glanced up at Takka’s silence.

“When did you have a kid?” Takka asked.

“Oh, I adopted Prompto almost a year ago. He had some medical issues we had to take care of first, so that's why he hasn't been on a hunt yet.”

The wiring port at the base of Prompto’s neck had been tricky. The metal plate had come off just fine, but the wiring had been embedded deeper. They hadn't been able to remove it all, just cut it down enough that it would be hidden under his skin without a visible lump. The recovery had taken longer, but Prompto hadn't minded as much because it had given him time to practice his reading and writing.

And now, it was time for his first hunt. Prompto had been so excited to see his brand new tags. He played with the chain constantly, and Dave had caught him with the edge of one tag pinched between his teeth.

“We’ll tackle the pack of voreteeth today, that should be easy enough,” Dave said. Takka waved him off as he stepped outside.

Prompto trailed after Cindy as she walked him around a fancy Insomnian car parked in front of the garage. Dave spotted Cid speaking to a man dressed all in black. Even from a distance he recognized the royal seal of the Crownsguard stitched on the shoulder of the man's jacket.

“Prompto, grab your gun, we’re heading out,” he called out. Prompto rushed back to the truck and climbed up to reach into the truck bed. He pulls out his belt and thigh holster. He watched Prompto buckle both to his person while Dave grabbed his rifle and machete.

“I'm ready to go,” Prompto said with an eager smile. Dave nodded and they headed north, hoping over the barrier that separated the outpost from the wilds. It didn't take long for the music from the jukebox in the diner to fade, and they were left in silence.

 

Prompto wheezed and strained under Dave’s weight. He was covered in dust, sweat and blood. Most of it was Dave's. Prompto tripped over a rock and went down. He ate a face full of dirt, but at least Dave had landed atop him.

“Oh, Astrals. I gotta get back to Hammerhead,” he gasped. Prompto heaved himself up, and resettled what he could of Dave on his back. At least the bleeding had stopped. A voretooth had nearly gored Dave open, despite his protective gear. There had been so much blood. And his screams would haunt Prompto forever. If Prompto didn’t get them back to Hammerhead, they were going to die out here.

The sun was dipping dangerously low, and he didn’t have much time left. He could see the lights from the tiny town. They were nearly there.

The growl and bark of a voretooth alerted Prompto to it’s presence, and he drew his gun. This was all his fault he would be damned if he let Dave die here. Prompto fired off the shot and saw the voretooth squeal and go down. It didn’t get back up. Prompto sighed and kept moving. For all the blood loss, Dave was still heavy on Prompto’s back.

The first stars twinkled in the darkening sky. He could still see the sun, just barely visible over a distant hill. He distantly thought that had he been more MT than human, he would have been immune from daemon attacks. But if had been an MT, he wouldn’t even be here. Prompto’s lungs burned from the exertion, but he dared not stop to even breath. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t until he was standing in the parking long in front of the diner.

The sun slipped from view.

Prompto pushed his sweaty hair from his face as he heard the sounds of a daemon spawning behind him. He didn’t care what it was, but he had to get away. Prompto drew his gun, just in case, but whatever had come up behind him was taking it’s sweet time. It was stalking them.

Hammerhead was so close, he could hear the diner music from here. But not close enough for the lights to chase the daemon off. The chittering of a goblin got too close and Prompto shot at it. He missed but it skittered away, and he ran.

Dave bounced on his back, and it was less of a run and more of a fast shuffle, but it was still faster than just walkingit.

“Help! Help me!” he screamed. “Help”

Prompto none-too-gently tossed Dave’s body over the barrier and scrambled after him. He screamed as the daemon reached for his boot, but it squealed and ran away from the floodlights.

Footsteps turned the corner from between the garage and supply shop. The two hunters who had been there that afternoon, and the Insomnian appeared, weapons drawn.

“Help!” he cried.

“Oh, shit!” the Insomnian cursed. He raced forward and dropped his sword. It disappeared in a shatter of blue crystals and a flaming feather appeared in his hand. Prompto recognized the symbol on his jacket. This man was a sword officer to the crown. He ducked his head as he clutched to Dave’s still form.

The Insmonian pressed the feather to Dave’s chest, and threads of fire flowed over his body. A moment later, his breathing settled, and his wounds healed. The man pressed a can into Prompto’s shaking hands and helped him drink.

It was cool and fizzy, and the light-headedness he had been fighting disappeared.

“Dave’s gonna be okay, son,” the man said. Prompto forced himself to look up at him. As soon as he did, he knew. This man knew who he was, what he was. His breathing kicked up against. “Hey, it’s all right. You’re safe, you’re both safe.”

He wasn’t lying, he could tell that much. He nodded slowly.

“Good. Let’s get you two to the caravan to rest,” the man said.

“We’ll carry Dave, Marshall,” the two hunters said. They moved to pick up Dave’s prone form while Prompto was helped to his feet. Which immediately gave out from under him. The man swept him up into his arms with ease.

“Marshall? Like, Marshall Leonis?” Prompto asked.

“The one and only,” Marshall Leonis said. Prompt started to shake again. “I told you, you’re both safe.”

“But-”

“You’re no danger to anyone. You just focus recovering so Dave doesn’t worry,” Marshall Leonis said sternly. Prompto nodded. They were carried inside, and Dave was placed on one of the cots while Marshall Leonis put Prompto down in one of the chairs inside. Dave was efficiently stripped of his clothes and wiped down with a few cleaning cloths.

“Dave’ll be alright, kid. He’s a tough one,” one hunter said. Prompto could only nod. The three adults filed out of the caravan and shut the door. He slowly removed his belt and holster, and stripped off his boots, shirt and pants. Prompto managed to make it to the tiny bathroom and washed the filth from his hands and face. He had no energy to use the shower stall.

With that done, he crawled into the second bed and immediately knocked out.

 

Dave woke up sore, stiff and feeling absolutely disgusting. But he was in a bed. So at least he knew he wasn’t dead. Astrals only knew how he would have dealt with leaving Prompto on his own.

He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in a caravan, and the door was propped open. He grunted as he sat up. Everything hurt, and pain meant he was still alive and kicking. Prompto’s blonde head stuck through the door to look at him. His face lit up and he practically dive bombed the cot.

“Dad! You’re okay!”

Dave was enveloped in a tight hug. Too in shock by Prompto’s actions and his choice of words to register anything else.

“I’m all right Prompto,” he said. He awkwardly patted Prompto on the back.

“I was so worried, and it was all my fault, and I was scared. But Marshall Leonis gave you some fancy curatives and you’re all right,” Prompto babbled.

“It wasn’t your fault. I’m the one who decided that getting eaten was a good idea,” Dave said. He chuckled, but it left his abdominal muscles protesting. Prompto buried his head against Dave’s neck and held on tighter.

“Is it okay if I call you Dad?” Prompto asked.

“Yes, that’s just fine by me, son,” Dave said. A chuckle from the doorway drew their attention, and Marshall Leonis was standing in the doorway.

“Dave Auburnbrie, a dad. Never thought I’d see the day,” he said.

“As if you don’t spend most of your time babysitting his Highness,” Dave said. Marshall Leonis shrugged.

“His Highness is a moody teen who doesn’t want adult supervision anymore. But someone has to make sure his head stays on his head until the throne is his,” Marshall said. There was a faraway look in his eyes. “Anyway, glad to see you up. I’ll let someone radio in your recovery and head out. It was nice to meet you, Prompto.”

“Nice to meet you too, Marshall,” Prompto said with a wave. Leonis was gone and the pair were left alone.

“I’m starving. How about you get us something to eat from Takka while I shower,” Dave said. Prompto hopped off the bed and straightened his clothes.

“Okay, dad!”

He was out the door in a flash.

 


	5. Fine Feathered Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto knows what he wants to do for his birthday.

After the terrifying ordeal that was Prompto’s first hunt, Dave drove them back to Meldacio, where they took it easy a while.  He hadn’t realized that the news of Prompto now calling him “dad” had spread across Lucis, however. Everywhere they went, hunters greeted him with a smile and a “dad” or “pop” or almost any other variation.  Dave felt a little embarrassed at first, but got used to it quickly. Not that he had much choice.

Prompto had finished helping a group organize and sort various horns and tusks and wandered back to Ma’s porch.  He helped himself to a glass of cool juice, and sprawled out across the worn wood of the porch.

“Say Prompto, you ever decide on what you wanted to do for your birthday?” Dave asked.  He heard the humming noise Prompto usually made when he was thinking. Then he was digging through his pockets.

“Um, Miss Cindy gave me this before we left Hammerhead,” he said.  Prompto hopped back to his feet and shoved something into Dave’s face.  It was a voucher for a free chocobo ride at Wiz’s. Dave chuckled. Something told him Prompto would like the chocobos.

“Sure, we can go.  Wiz’s Chocobo Post is in southeast Duscae, so it’ll be a drive,” Dave said.  Prompto beamed.

“Okay!”

 

They set out, two days later.  The sun had just risen and Prompto was still half asleep.  Ma had shoved a breakfast sandwich into each of their hands, along with a thermos of hot chocolate and sent them on their way.

Prompto leaned against the door with his head partially stuck out the window as they turned onto the road leading away from Lestallum.

“We won’t get close to the Disc, but we’ll see some of the land formations the meteor caused when the Archean caught it,” Dave told him.  Prompto perked up at the mention. The drive took them under several of the stone archways and Prompto was suitably awed by the sight.

“How come we can’t get close to the Disc?” Prompto asked.

“It’s all blocked off by the crown.  So people don’t hurt themselves exploring, that kind of thing.  Same reason they discourage people from going down into Taelpar Crag.  No one really knows what’s down there. There’s rumors of course, but no one knows for sure.”

“That’s so cool!” Prompto exclaimed.  Dave glanced over at him and chuckled at the starry look in his eyes.  He turned onto the road that led to Wiz’s, and they were surrounded by trees.

“We’re almost there,” he announced.  Prompto bounced in his seat and stuck his head out the window fully.  Dave pulled into the outpost’s small parking area and took in the smell of chocobo.  Prompto was wrinkling his nose at the smell.

“What’s that smell?”

“That’s what a chocobo smells like, kid.  I hope you’re ready,” Dave said. Prompto hopped out of the truck and took in the sights.  The Chocobo post had hardly changed since the last time Dave had been here. A couple more tables had been added to the picnic area, but that was about it.

“Dad!  Come on!” Prompto urged.  Dave trailed after him as Prompto gamely approached the pens where the chocobo’s were kept.

“Hey, there Dave,” Wiz greeted.  Dave came up to Wiz with a grin. “I hear you’re in the dad business now.” Dave just chuckled and nodded.

“That’s me.”

Wiz clapped him on the back. “Good luck with that.” Prompto wandered back and hovered by Dave’s arm.

“Wiz, this is my boy Prompto.  Prompto, this is Wiz, the owner of this fine establishment.  We’re here for Prompto’s birthday, and he wants to meet the chocobos.”

Prompto waved a hand and smiled. “Hello.  It’s nice to meet you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the voucher Cindy had given him. “I have this.”

Wiz took the voucher from him and looked it over before looking up at Prompto.

“Well, that all seems to be in order.  How would you like to meet one of our nicest chocobos.  She loves kids,” Wiz asked. Prompto nodded eagerly. Wiz led him away and Dave dug through his duffel bag to find the camera Ma had foisted on him.  There was no way he wasn’t going to capture this on film.

Prompto held a fistful of greens in one hand as he slowly approached one of the birds.  He could see the nervousness in the line of his shoulders. He was still so skinny, but he had survived his first growth spurt.  Though Dave was not looking forward to having to sit Prompto down for The Talk.

The chocobo delicately picked up the greens from Prompto’s hand, and leaned her neck in to where he was carefully petting her.  Dave raised his camera and snapped a photo. The chocobo stepped closer to encourage Prompto, who slowly raised his arms and hugged the bird around the neck.  Wiz had left Prompto to it and joined Dave.

“He was nervous, but Stella there is our best when it comes to jittery kids.  But he looks excited to be here, so that definitely helps.”

“Yeah, he got the voucher from Cindy Aurum up in Hammerhead,” Dave said.

“Old Cid’s little girl?  How’d he manage that?”

“Listen to her ramble about cars, I’d imagine.  I spent two of the three days we were there unconscious.  She was probably keeping him occupied so he wouldn’t fuss over me.”

“Unconscious?  What in the Six happened?”

“Prompto’s first hunt went bad.  He wants to try again, but I can tell he’s nervous about it.  Don’t quite know how to ease him into it.” Wiz grunted.

Dave turned his attention back to Prompto and saw that the boy had buried his face into the bird's neck feathers.  He was pressed so tightly to it, Dave couldn't tell where the feathers ended and Prompto's hair began. Dave immediately raised the camera and took another photo.  This one would definitely go up on the fridge in Ma’s house.

“Hey Prompto, how would you like ride her?” Wiz asked.  Prompto hesitated and glanced over at Dave, who only nodded.

“Okay!”

Wiz demonstrated how the saddle and bridle went on the chocobo, and then helped Prompto up into the saddle.  Stella the chocobo walked around the closed course next to the pens slowly. Prompto swayed side to side in the saddle while Wiz held the reins.

“How ya feelin’ there Prompto?”

“This is so much fun!  Can we go a little faster?”

“Sure!” Wiz urged Stella into a trot.  Prompto smiled and laughed as he bounced.  He was content to trot around for awhile until Wiz brought them to a stop.

“Ready for lunch Prompto?” Dave asked.  He leaned against the fence with his camera in hand.  Wiz helped Prompto dismount and Stella was taken away by one of the stable hands.  Dave and Prompto sat down at one of the picnic tables and Wiz took their orders.

After lunch, Dave got the caravan set up while Prompto explored the rest of the outpost.  When he came back, he was sporting a chocobo themed cap on his head, and a chocobo chick plush in his arms.  Prompto flopped onto one of the cots and passed out for a nap.

Dave took one more picture and then eased the cap off his head and set it aside.  He was glad that despite the trauma of Prompto’s first hunt, the boy was doing well and happy otherwise.  He pulled the blanket over Prompto and let him sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Prompto could remember the day he met old man Argentum’s son.  It was about a week after his fifteenth birthday, in fact. And Marshall Leonis had driven all the way out to Meldacio to hand deliver something to him.

They sat together at the plastic tables where hunters gathered to eat and gossip.  Dave was down in Lestallum, helping out with a daemon problem at the power plant, but Prompto had opted to stay home.

“I was able to pull a few strings, but this is for you,” the Marshall said.  He pushed a large envelope over. It bore the Lucis royal seal. Prompto broke the seal and reached inside.  He pulled a small stack of papers, the most prominent of which bore the king’s signature.

“By the authority of His Royal Majesty, King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII, we decree that Prompto Argent Auburnbrie to be the adopted son of David Auburnbrie, and that his status as refugee of the Niflheim Empire be elevated to Citizen of the Kingdom of Lucis.”

Prompto stared at the letter in shock.

“Is this?  Is this for real?” His voice shook with the question.

“It is.  I know you and Dave don’t bring it up, but it’s not hard to tell where you’re from just looking at you.  I remember how scared you were, that day in Hammerhead. So, these papers are your protection. As far as anyone is concerned, you’re a citizen of Lucis now, and the highest authority in the land made it so.”

“I - thank you!  Thank you so much!”

Prompto hopped up and gave the Marshall a hug.  The older man only laughed and patted him on the back.  Prompto pulled away and sat back down, and that’s when the peace around headquarters was broken.

“Fine!  Die out here like a damned dog for all I care!”

They turned to see a man storming out of Argentum’s house.  He was making his way towards a nice car. Not as nice as the Marshall’s, but far better looking than anything one could find outside the wall.

“This ain’t about me wanting to live or die, son!  We both know you don’t give enough of a shit about anyone for that.”

“At least Insomnia is safe!  Safe from Niffs, and those freaks from Galahd!”

The look on Argentum’s face was thunderous.  Prompto had never seen such a look on his face before.  Argentum approached the man, and he reminded Prompto of a coeurl, stalking its prey.

“As you so gracelessly put it, those freaks, are the only thing standing between you and the fall of Lucis.  I would rather die out here, as a hunter of Lucis, than sit on my ass, thinking that Niflheim’s war machine will never touch me.  Because make no mistake, it will find a way. As war always does. It marches on, and destroys all in its path. And when I do die, whether from old age, or from a hunt, the only thing you’ll get from me are my tags.”

The younger man looked affronted now.

“You promised that gun to me!”

And what use do you have for it!  If you’re so fucking safe, you won’t need it!  It’s in better hands now, then it ever would be with you!”

Prompto saw the Marshall stand and move towards the two arguing men.  Prompto scrambled to put his new papers back in the envelope so they wouldn’t get blown away.  He stood behind the Marshall, but he found himself curious.

“Captain Argentum, it’s been a long time!” the Marshall greeted.  Argentum’s anger faded as he turned to the Marshall.

“Cor?  Is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“What happened to that scrubby kid who ran around with a sword taller than he was?” Argentum asked with a laugh.

“That scrubby kid is Crownsguard Marshall now.”

“No, shit.  Shouldn’t be shocked, the only people you ever listened to were his majesty and Amicitia.  What brings you all the way out here?”

“Ah, not much.  Just thought I’d stop by and wish Prompto a happy birthday, and deliver his citizenship papers.”

The Marshall clapped Prompto on the shoulder, and he felt his face grow hot under the attention.

“Congrats, kid,” Argentum said with a smile.

“Thanks, I’m just so thankful for everything you’ve given me, you, and Dad, and Ma Ezma, you too Marshall.”

The man Prompto now knew was Argentum’s son had stormed off to his car and had started it.  The noise of the engine drew everyone’s attention. Argentum only shook his head.

“I don’t know where I went wrong, or where he got all those racist ideas from.  Sure as hell wasn’t from me,” he said. “You wanna catch up some more, Cor?”

“Sure.”

He patted Prompto on the shoulder and headed inside.  Prompto crossed the road to Ma Ezma’s house so he could look at all the papers in the envelope properly.  He sat on his bed, and looked around. For a long time, his room was nothing more than a bed and a chest of drawers.  But now the room held his personality.

He’d been allowed to paint the room as he wished, and he had painted the ceiling a bright sky blue with some fluffy clouds.  The curtains over his one window were purple and embroidered with golden stars and constellations. The four walls were all painted to emulate setting sun.  Though one wall was dominated by a bookshelf and several cork boards filled with keepsakes. Photos, leftover tickets from various Crow's Nest pinball machines, a myriad of receipts and tourism pamphlets.  Proof of the life Prompto had managed to build in Lucis. A space on his bookshelf held his new camera, a gift from some hunters who had pooled their money to buy it in Insomnia. 

Besides his Quicksilver, the camera was easily his most prized possession.  A knock on his door frame grabbed his attention and Ma Ezma stood in the doorway.

“You wanna learn how to ride Old Girl?” she asked.  A grin split her weathered features, and Prompto couldn't help but smile back.

“Hell yeah!”

He hopped out if bed and reached into his closet for the leather jacket she had given him for last year's winter holiday.  His voice cracked in his elation, and for once was too excited to be embarrassed about it.

“Dave won't be back until tomorrow, so I got time to teach you the basics,” she said.  Ma Ezma led him outside to the shed behind the house. It was used for storage and one of Ezma Auburbrie's oldest possessions sat inside.

Old Girl, her old motorcycle.  So old that the only hunter old enough to remember her riding jt as a wild youth at the onset of the war was Argentum.  

“Now, you're gonna treat her right or you can't have her when you're seventeen.”

Prompto nodded as he wheeled the bike out of the shed and into the early afternoon light.

“Yes, Ma,” he said.  She proceeded to show him how to check over the bike and make sure it was in working order.  Even though Ma Ezma had just given the bike a look over the previous week, Prompto knew this was important.

An hour later, he sat astride the bike feeling a bit too small for it.  He turned the key in the ignition and revved the engine. Despite her age, the bike roared to life beneath him.  Ma Ezma let him ride slow circles up and down the road, never straying from the borders of the outpost. Every few minutes she game him permission to speed up, and he adjusted to the bike quickly.  He barely even registered the crowd that had gathered to watch until the sun had very nearly set. He finally stopped and killed the engine.

“Well, what do you think of her?” Ma Ezma asked.  Prompto only grinned.

“She's great!” His voice squeaked.

“Dave is gonna teach you to drive a proper car eventually, but she's yours if you want her,” Ma Ezma said.  Prompto lowered the kickstand and dismounted in an easy movement that made it seem like he had grown up in bikes.

“Thank you so much!  I swear I'll take good care of her.”


	7. The City That Never Sleeps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto experiences Insmonia for the first time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is so long because it was part of a bet I made with a few friends where we each had to update 5k of a WIP by 10/22, or we would owe each other Halloween candy. Chapter 6 counted towards my 5k as well, so I got it done just in time.

Since meeting Dave two years previous, Prompto's life had held little tragedy or sadness, despite living as a hunter.  He knew that hunters got hurt or died on the job all the time. But it had never been anyone he had really known. Until now.

“You don't have to come with me,” Dave said.  His voice sounded rather insistent, but Prompto wanted to do this.

Five days ago, Calix Argentum, also known as Old Man Argentum took a hunt.  He never came back. Prompt and Dave were heading out to his last known location to find his tags.

“I want to, Dad,” Prompto said.  His bag was already packed and sitting in the truck bed.  There was no stopping him.

They drove out to southwest Cleigne, where Argentum had last reported in.  It was two long days, but Prompto caught the flash of tarnished silver in the sun.  The tags had been found. Along with what little had been left of the man.

Tags in hand, he fell to his knees and let himself cry.  As much as he knew that hunting was dangerous, it still wasn't fair that someone he cared about was gone.

Dave placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and Prompto nearly wrestled the man to the ground in his haste to seek out comfort.  Dave held him until Prompto's sobs subsided into hiccups.

“What happens now?”

“We bring the tags to their next of kin.  Which means -”

“We're going to Insomnia.”

 

Despite the somber reason, Prompto was excited to see the Crown City.  A sleepless city that never went dark. He stared out the window as the checkpoint came up.  Traffic slowed and Dave reached into the glove box to retrieve his papers.

“Hand me your ID.”

Prompto pulled his ID card from his wallet and handed it over.  Prompto didn't need anything more than his ID to enter Insomnia, as a minor traveling with his parental guardian.

If he ever wanted to come back after his eighteenth birthday, he would need to carry the citizenship papers the Marshall had given him.

They passed through the checkpoint quickly, and the road turned into the long bridge that ran over Insomnian Sound, and connected the island the regions of Cauvagh and Insomnia were made up of to the rest of the continent.

Prompto hadn't realized how big Lucis was until he saw a full map of the kingdom.  And he was finally getting to see the capital.

They passed through the wall.

As soon as they cleared the short tunnel, Prompto looked up to see the pearlescent sheen to the horizon.  The magical wall sustained by the life of King Regis, and protected the citizens of the capital from the starscourge.  Prompto shivered to think how he would have reacted to the wall if he had tried to get into the city before he had expelled all the scourge from his body two years ago.

“Welcome to Insomnia, city of kings.”

As it was midday, the city wasn't lit up, but it was bustling.  Prompto had never seen so many people in one place. People dressed in a variety of styles and colors, driving shining modern cars and using sleek cell phones.

“Is it always so busy like this?”

“It can be busier.  It's the middle of the day so traffic is as light as it's going to get until at least midnight.”

Dave consulted the GPS on his phone and slowly navigated the streets.  It took nearly a half hour for them to reach the suburbs of the city.

The houses were cookie cutter with lawns and gardens.  It was nearly alien to see compared to the rest of the kingdom.  The only gardens he had ever seen were of the vegetable variety, and lawns were nonexistent.  They parked on the curb and stepped out of the car.

Dave picked up the small bag of Argentum's effects.  It was everything he was leaving to his only son. The man had never been one to collect things the way Prompto did.  He self-consciously touched the grip of the Quicksilver holstered at his hip. They were dressed in their nicest clothes, in deference of the somber occasion.  Though they were still armed, in respect to their fallen comrade. Dave's machete was strapped to his belt, and it looked odd to see him while he wore a suit.

Dave approached the door and rang the bell.  He had called ahead, but that didn't mean there would be an answer at the door.

The door opened and Aurelios Argentum stood in the doorway. 

“Unless those personal items include his Quicksilver, you can fuck off,” he declared. 

“Per Calix’s will, that Quicksilver goes to my son,” Dave responded.  Prompto saw Aurelios's eyes flick from Dave to him.

“Give me the gun and get the Niff scum off my property.”

Prompto flinched and hid further behind Dave.

“We'll leave, but you're not getting the gun.  Calix was explicitly clear.” Dave held out an envelope to the man. “If you don't believe me, you can read his will yourself.”

The envelope was snatched from his hands and torn open.  Prompto could track the movements of Aurelios's eyes as he read down the document, his face growing angrier with every sentence.

“What is this shit? I get his tags and some clothes? This is a piece of shit.  Give me the Quicksilver.”

He tried to push past Dave to get to Prompto, but Dave was immovable.

“You won't lay a hand on my son.  We are only here as a courtesy. As Head Hunter, it is my duty to carry out the last will of my hunters.  What they choose to do with their personal belongings is not my business. But what is my business is you tarnishing Calix's good name, and threatening my son.  I've done my job. and I'm leaving, with my son and his Quicksilver.”

Dave stepped away from the stoop and Prompto followed.  Aurelios watched them go, but made no move to pursue them.  After all, they were armed and he was not. And unlike him, they knew how to use their weapons.

Prompto climbed back into the truck and Dave quickly joined him.  He had left Calix's items on the porch. He had done his duty, and now all that was left was to let Prompto enjoy a day in the city.  They drove away from the suburbs, and closer to the city’s center. The true center was the Citadel, but Dave certainly wasn’t going to spend that kind of money on a hotel, when something a lot more basic would suffice.   Prompto changed out of his clothes, and tugged on more comfortable denims and a t-shirt.

“You can go exploring if you’d like.  But you’ll have to leave your gun here.  The only Lucians expected to be armed in Insomnia are agents of the crown.  And keep your tags visible,” Dave said.

“Sure thing, Dad.  Do you want me back at a certain time?” Prompto asked.  He double checked that the safety was on, and set the gun aside.

“By midnight is fine, since you can actually be out after sunset here.  If you get lost, give me a call.”

Prompto finished lacing his boots back up and checked his pockets for his wallet and the room key.

“Kay, be back later.  Love you, Dad!” Prompto tore out the door.

“Be safe!” Dave called back before it swung shut.

Prompto eagerly looked up and down the street, with no idea which way to go.  After watching the traffic go by for several minutes he finally decided to just head west, and see where the road would take him.

One thing Prompto immediately picked up on was that compared to Insomnia, Lestallum was downright quiet.  Cars roared and honked by, pedestrians chattered on their phones and to each other. Some of the billboards were like massive television screens that moved and talked!  The sheer amount of color was overwhelming, and Prompto found himself standing at a crosswalk, completely zoned out thanks to sensory overload.

A man in a business suit bumped into him and Prompto shook out his jitters.  He waiting for the light to change and followed everyone else across the street.  It was strange, having to wait to cross like this. Even in Lestallum, he could get away with crossing the street as long as the nearest moving car wasn’t going to immediately hit him.

A roadside food stall caught his nose, and he made a beeline for it.

“Hey there!  Care to try some Galahd style curry?” the vendor asked.  Prompto looked over at the meat on the grill.

“Sure!” he said with a grin.  The vendor served a skewer of meat onto a piece of flatbread and poured a sauce over it.

“I should warn you, Galahd spices aren’t for the faint of heart,” the vendor chuckled.  Prompto shrugged and carefully counted out five crowns from his wallet. He still didn’t get just why Insomnia used a different currency from the rest of the country.  Money and food exchanged hands, and Prompto took a bite of the curried meat.

It was certainly spicy, but not so much he couldn’t handle it.  He eagerly scarfed it down with a grin.

“I’ve never met someone eat my food so fast who wasn’t Galahdian,” the vendor said.  Prompto bought a bottle of water and carried on his way. The food had been delicious, and now he was content to just sightsee.

While he really wanted to see as much of the city as he could, before they left tomorrow morning, Prompto was also wary of wandering too far and not being able to find his way back to the motel.  He wandered through a park, and saw children clambering over playground equipment. He wanted to try some of it out, but knew he wouldn’t fit.

“Hey kid!  You!”

Prompto jumped and whirled around to see someone dressed in some kind of uniform, but he had no idea who this person was.

“Uh, who, me?”

“What school do you attend, why are you not in class and out of uniform?” they demanded.  Prompto stuttered and fumbled for his tags.

“I’m a Hunter, and I’m in the city for business.”

This person, who still hadn’t identified themself, grabbed Prompto’s tags and looked them over. For a brief second, Prompto thought he wasn’t going to be believed,  but his tags were released.

“Fine, carry on then.”

And they were gone.

It was perhaps the strangest encounter Prompto had ever experienced so far.  He just hoped things wouldn’t get any stranger.

 

A couple hours later Prompto had found heaven.  A real arcade! With more games than he could ever hope to play.  He eagerly exchanged some money for tokens and looked around to find something he wanted to play.  He bee-lined for the nearest shooting game. He inserted the necessary number of coins and got started.

Compared to shooting actual dangerous animals and daemons, the game was almost laughably easy, and it took no time at all for Prompto to beat the high score. He moved on to the next shooting game and repeated the process.

He beat the high score in every single shooting game before trying his luck with the others.  King's Knight was familiar, but he had never been great at it. But he did fairly well. Prompto sacrificed more cash for tokens and decided to try his hand at one of the rhythm games.

It turned out despite his incredible aiming ability, his hand eye coordination was dreadful.  He was averaging a flashing “bad” for every song he had tried. Once the cheery pop music faded out and the big red “FAIL” flashed across the screen, he gave it up and checked out the rest of the arcade.  There were a number of games he had no clue how they worked, and a few that looked like they required a partner, so he passed them by. 

He passed by a group of teens huddled around the pinball machines when one of them looked at him.

“What do we have here? A Niff?”

Prompto tried not to freeze up.  He was really coming to hate that word.  It wasn’t technically a slur, but the malice and hatred it was so often spoken with made it feel like one.  The group of teens were all taller then he was, though none looked all that muscled.

“What's it to you?” Prompto asked with more bravado than he felt.  The boys sneered at him and he was quickly surrounded. They likely looked at his size and decided he was an easy target for the six of them.

“Your kind aren't welcome here,” their leader said.

“And I suppose your kind are?”

“The hell kind of accent do you have?  Look like a Niff but you don't sound like one.”

“I'm Lucian, same as you asshole,” Prompto said.  He pushed his way from between two of them to walk away.

“Hey!”

Prompto kept walking.

“We're talking to you!”

He was halfway to the door when they surrounded him again.

“See, this is why we hate Niff scum like you. You think you're hot shit, when all you are are a bunch of cowardly murderers.”

Prompto let out a long breath and turned around to face his antagonists.  Only to be faced with a knife. The blade was a few inches long, and the teen brandished it with quick flourishing movements.  Honestly it looked like the presentation was meant to look impressive to hide the fact that the blade was so narrow.

“Are you serious?” he groaned.

“Hey! None of that in here! Get out if you're gonna fight, take it outside!”

The manager yelled as he marched towards them.

“Sure, I was gonna leave anyway,” Prompto said with far more cheer than he felt.  He moved to shove passed the ring of teens again But he was grabbed by the shoulders.  He let out a groan. They really wanted to pick a fight with one kid.

“Oh, I'm sure they wouldn't want to start a fight anywhere near your fine establishment, sir,” a new voice chimed in.

Off to their left, a new teen, about Prompto's age and size leaned against one of the machines.  His school uniform was a little ruffled with the sleeves rolled to his elbows and the tie loosened.  He was flanked by two older teens, both bearing the Crownsguard seal on their clothes.

Prompto felt the shift in the room immediately.  The group he had been accosted by were clearly intimidated by these three.  He squinted at the three, and realized why the short dark one in the middle looked familiar. Though he had only ever seen his majesty in photos, this boy looked a lot like him.  He had the king's jaw and eyebrows. The crown prince was standing in an arcade, defending him. It was surreal.

The teen with the knife stepped back, and Prompto spotted his clenched fist in time to wrench his arms free and duck.  The punch missed him quickly, and he narrowly avoided the kick aimed for his stomach as well. Compared to facing down a charging voretooth this kid was slow.  Prompto continued to duck and weave around flailing limbs as he struggled to make his escape. The three who had come to his defense hadn't even moved, and Prompto saw that the group that had accosted him all seemed to be fighting each other at this point.

He got free of them and took a second to breath and see if they had noticed his escape.  They hadn't. 

“Those are some fancy moves, kid.  Where'd you learn that?” the really tall one asked.

“I'm a hunter.  That,” he nodded to the hooligans, “is nothing compared to what I've seen.  Now, thank you for your help, I'm gonna get outta here before the notice me.  Nice to meet you, Your Highness!”

Prompto waved and ran off.  He had no particular destination in mind, just, away from the arcade.  Distantly, he knew racism was a thing that happened. That people could dislike him at best, or hate him at worst just for where he came from.  But to experience it first hand. To have someone want to cause him physical harm just because he had been born in Niflheim was staggering. Prompto stopped at an intersection, and realized his shoulders were shaking.  He needed to sit down for a second and get his bearings.

He walked down the street, trying to find somewhere to safely sit.  He spotted a cafe and ducked inside. It was so much brighter and cleaner looking than any of the cafe’s he’d seen in Lestallum.  He stepped up to the counter and pushed his glasses back up his nose to read the menu board. He knew what tea and coffee were, and what a latte was, and iced teas and coffee were popular in Lestallum’s heat, but had never heard of an ice blended drink.

“Good evening, what can I get you?” the cashier asked.  Prompto smiled and ordered one of the ice blended drinks at random.  He hoped it tasted okay.

He sat at a table in a corner furthest from the storefront windows and sipped his drink.  It was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted in his life. It was delicious. His shaking subsided, and he finally started to calm down.  While his time at the arcade had been spoiled by that group of teens, he had had fun at least. Logically, not all Insomnians were like those boys, or Aurelios Argentum.  The prince and his retinue seemed a good sort at the least.

Prompto simply hadn’t thought about the fact that he would be more likely to run into those people.  Or that they would be so open with their hatred and vitriol. For all of Insomnia’s shine and splendor, Prompto decided he liked the wildlands better.  People cared a lot less about where he was from, and more about what he could do to help. And that’s all he really wanted to do. Help people, in any way he could.

Prompto tapped at his phone to figure out how to get back to the hotel room from wherever he had ended up.  He had walked a long way. Prompto knew that he could stay out later, but didn’t much feel like it. If people could be so awful in broad daylight, he didn’t want to think about what they could be like under the cover of darkness.

He polished off his drink and with his route in hand, Prompto headed off.  He checked his map regularly to make sure he was going the right way.

Even with the map, it took Prompto nearly forty minutes to get back to the motel.  He gratefully shoved open the door and collapsed onto his bed, ready to sleep the rest of the night away.  He found spending a day stalking a herd of duplicorns through the brush was nothing compared to Insomnia.

“So how was the city?” Dave asked from his bed.  There was a bag of trash from some fast food joint sitting near his knee and he was reading a book.

“Tiring,” Prompto mumbled.  He rolled over onto his back and started to unlace his boots.  His feet were killing him. At least he had a whole day in the car to look forward to tomorrow.  He kicked off his boots and wiggled out of his pants so he could crawl under the covers.

“Find anything interesting?”

“An arcade.  I beat a bunch of high scores, and met some assholes, and the prince!” Prompto summarized.  No point in going into details when he didn’t feel like it.

“Did those assholes give you any trouble?” Dave had set aside his book and looked at Prompto expectantly.

“A little.  Spewed some shit about Niffs, one pulled a knife.  They started a fight and I got away while the prince distracted them.”

The pillows on the bed were surprisingly soft and the blanket was warm, and Prompto could feel himself nodding off already.

“There’s a lot of mean people in the world.  But I’m glad there’s good ones too. Like you, and the Marshall, and Miss Cindy.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Prompto felt a hand in his hair, running through it, and easing the remaining tension in his body.  He liked that about Dave, he wasn’t afraid to dole out physical affection. He let Prompto hug him when he wanted, would pat him on the back, the shoulder, the top of his head when he did something well.  Prompto was frequently afraid that people secretly disliked him. But with Dave, that was never in question. He knew where he stood with Dave, and Ma Ezma. They loved him as much as he loved them. They were his family, and all he really needed.

He drifted off to sleep and fell into dreams where he grew up in Insomnia.  Where he had absentee parents, and a best friend in the crown prince. He spent his day in school, and his afternoons at that same arcade.  It was a strange dream, and while nice, it couldn’t compare to what he had as a hunter. He wouldn’t trade his life for anything in the world.

 

When he woke up in the morning, Dave was already up, dressed and his overnight bag was packed.  Prompto rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“Morning, son.  Let’s get going, we’ll grab breakfast on our way out,” he said.

“Kay.”

Prompto got out of bed and wandered into the bathroom.  While his adventure in Insomnia was over, and he didn’t much feel like he wanted to come back anytime soon, he hoped he would get the chance later on.  It’d be nice to see the massive city again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday Prompto!

Prompto's sixteenth birthday came and went without incident.  He carried on hunting, and got better at taking photos. He now took on solo hunts when they were in Meldacio or Lestallum, and worked with other hunters more often.  Dave had taught him to drive and even though he still had to wait another year to be licensed, Dave insisted it was a valuable skill to have in case of emergency. Which was almost immediately put to the test.

A father and daughter had gotten stranded when the father injured his leg on a hike out by the old Balouve Mines.  The girl had managed to make it back to Longwythe to radio for help. Prompto had volunteered to run back with her.  By the time they made it back, the sun was too low to get them to the closest haven.. The outpost was closer, but only in a car.

“Okay, sir.  I'm going to help you up.  We'll get to your car and I'll drive us back,” Prompto said.  It was the best plan he could come up with. The man grit his teeth and tried not to scream as Prompto helped him into a standing position.

The pair stumbled over the dusty, uneven ground to the small parking area near the mine entrance, while the daughter followed behind, carrying their hiking gear.

They managed to get back to the car with little mishap, but maneuvering the man into the backseat had been hell.  He had sworn up a storm and cursed the Six thoroughly by the time Prompto was shutting the door. The girl got into the passenger seat and Prompto slid into the driver seat.

“You know how to drive, kid?” the man asked.

“Sure.  I just don't have a license, yet,” Prompto quipped.  He quickly adjusted the seat, mirrors and steering wheel for his liking.  The man was swearing again. Prompto started the car and they were off.

The drive was a race against the sun.  It was perhaps a good thing there was no one to enforce speed limits, because Prompto pushed the car well passed it.  He only slowed down enough to make the turns without flipping the car.

“Shiva's tits, kid, who taught you to drive?” the man swore.

“Hunters.”

Prompto could just make out the old billboard that marked Longwythe outpost from a distance.  But it was still a distance away. Prompto drew the Quicksilver from its holster and thumbed off the safety.

The sun slipped below the horizon, and he floored it.  The car lurched forward.

“Hang onto something!”

The first daemon spawned in the opposite lane ahead.  Before it could even register that there was a car on the road, Prompto shot it as they passed.

“Whoa!  He actually hit it!” the girl exclaimed.  Prompto smirked, but kept his eyes out for anymore movement in the road.  They were so close! The girl screamed when a goblin tried to grab her through the window.

“Duck!”

The girl ducked and Prompto shot the goblin off the car.  He was forced to slow down to make the turn that would get them into Longwythe Outpost and the comfort of their floodlights.  Something crashed into the rear of the car and Prompto jerked the steering wheel. They made the turn and for a brief second Prompto thought they were going to flip.

The car righted and he floored it.  They screeched to a stop in front of the Crow's Nest, and the three didn't move and simply breathed.  They were alive, and unharmed.

“You did it!” the girl cried.  She reached over and hugged Prompto tightly. “Thank you!”

“Oh, uh, my pleasure.” Prompto laughed and fought down a blush.  The man in the backseat cleared his throat and Prompto fumbled with the door handle and he stumbled out.

Another hunter ran out of the diner to help him get the man out of the car.  Together they managed to get him inside and sit him down.

“You got any curative for this?” the other hunter asked.  Prompto shook his head.

“I rushed out there before I even realized I could have bought one for him,” Prompto admitted.  He felt awful that he hadn't thought of it.

“Hey, don't beat yourself up too hard, kid.  You got them back here in one piece. You're still learning, and even us older folks mess up too.”

Prompt shrugged. “Yeah, okay.”

Despite his success, he still felt like he could have done better.  The other hunter walked out into the parking lot to grab something out of the trunk of their car.

“Here, it's on the house.”

The cook set down a burger and fries for the three. “Y'all look like ya need some food in your bellies.”

“Thanks.” Prompto shoved a couple fries in his mouth while he watched the potion get administered.  The man sighed in relief as the pain faded away to nothing.

“Thank you, son.  You came for us when most others wouldn't have bothered and left us to the daemons,” the man said.  He dug into his burger and hummed in appreciation. “Nothin’ like a near death experience to get the appetite going.”

The girl shook her head but picked up her own burger and ate in silence.  Under the diner's fluorescent lights, she looked pretty. Nothing on Miss Cindy, but pretty.

Later on, Prompto wished the pair good night and crawled into the back seat of his hunting partner's car to sleep.  They didn't have enough for the motel, and with no caravan at the outpost, they had to make do.

“Just so you know, Prompto, I'll have to let your pop know about that stunt.  I wasn't supposed to let you go off on your own,” they said. The front seat was reclined as far as the could go, and the two of them were as comfortable as they were going to get.

“Aw man.  He won't let me take any solo hunts for weeks!” Prompto whined.

“Partnering up is better than being dead.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Good.  How get some sleep.  I know you kids like that sort of thing.”

Prompto snorted but shut his eyes.  He wasn't looking forward to the lecture he was going to get from Dad and Ma Ezma.  But those civilians were safe, and that's what mattered most to him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a new addition to the Auburnbrie family.

Prompto was curled up in the front seat, his arms holding his knees to his chest, a petulant pout on his face.  Dave chuckled and shook his head.

“Daaaaaaaaad!” Prompto whined. 

“So, am I expecting this young man to come by for dinner sometime soon?  Should I polish my shotgun special for him?  I wouldn't want him to think he can get away with hurting my boy,” he teased. Prompto's nose scrunched up.

“Ugh, no.  He was just some guy.  I don't even remember his name.”

“Okay.  I wasn't sure since you two were rather, hmmm, involved.”

“Oh em gee Dad, I know what kissing and sex is.”

“I know you do.  I was there for that conversation, too, you know.”

Prompto didn't say anything.  Dave remembered being seventeen, it wasn't as long ago as some people seemed to think.  Admittedly he had never found himself interested in people in such a way. He just thought romance and sex were all weird.  But Prompto was young and old enough to put some of his curiosity into practice. He simply had not expected to run across Prompto in a Lestallum back alley wrapped around another boy, with their tongues throat deep in each other.

“Its okay to be curious, Prompto.  I just want you to be safe. I'm not going to stop you or tell you who you are or aren't allowed to date.  I trust you to take care of yourself. But I'm here for you if you need me.”

“Thanks Dad,” Prompto mumbled.  Dave reached over and ruffled his hair.  It was getting rather long. They were driving down to Taelpar to check on a hunting team that had had a nasty run in with a whole pack of coeurls.  They had all come back with serious injuries.

“Stop the car!” Prompto cried.  Dave slammed on the brakes and the car behind them honked loudly before driving around them.

“Prompto?”

Prompto darted out of the truck and hopped the barrier and into the underbrush of the woods surrounding the road.  He came back a few minutes later with something small cradled in his arms. He climbed back into the truck, and Dave could see a puppy cradled in his arms.  He only sighed as Prompto stroked its brown fur to calm its shivering.

“I already know I can't stop you, so yes, we can keep it,” Dave said. “It's your responsibility to take care of.”

Prompto beamed and continued to pet the tiny thing.  The rest of the drive was filled with the soft sounds of Prompto cooing and soothing the puppy.  Dave glanced over to see that the puppy had calmed and was now resting in Prompto's lap. It was going to be so spoiled, he could already tell.

They pulled into the parking lot in front of the Crow's Nest and they got out of the truck.  Dave made for the motel and the hunter sitting at one of the picnic tables out front. Prompto wandered over to the grocer truck to see if she had anything he could feed his new puppy.  The vendor did have some dog food, but it was outrageously priced. Prompto sighed, and quickly realized he was way in over his head.

He eventually wandered over to where Dave was conversing with another hunter.  They paused in their conversation when Prompto sat at the table and set the puppy down.  It whined, but calmed when he began to pet it again.

An abandoned newspaper caught his eye and he tugged it closer to read while the two adults talked.  The front page was splashed with the dark, heavy uniforms of the Kingsglaive. The one who stood front and center was a handsome man with a mohawk and braids in his hair.

“He's a handsome devil,” Dave said with a grin.

“Dad, please,” Prompto moaned.

“What would Cindy think?”

“Give him a break, Dave, the kid's gonna look.  And he'd have to be blind to not notice pretty people,” the other hunter said.

“He knows I'm only teasing.  There ain't nothing wrong with looking.”

Prompto shook his head and went back to reading.

 

Prompto manage to look up enough info on puppy care to take care of his knew puppy.  Who seemed to do nothing but sleep.

“I'm gonna call him Somnus,” he declared.  The puppy yipped and crawled into his lap for more attention.

Now outfitted with a proper collar, and being properly fed, Somnus grew quickly, and was soon no longer content to sit in the truck on hunts.  He barked every time anything got close and made tracking certain animals much easier.

Dave hadn't wanted to get attached to Somnus the way Prompto had, but here he was, sneaking him treats and attention when Prompto wasn't looking. 

Ma Ezma shook her head at them when they brought Somnus to Meldacio, but she seemed to welcome the puppy's presence all the same.  It wasn't unusual for hunters to keep dogs, after all.

Prompto just wished his motorcycle came with a side car, since he wanted to be able to take Somnus with him on solo hunts.  Not that he was doing too many of them. With his eighteenth birthday looming ever closer, Dave had become more openly attached and insisted that Prompto keep taking hunts with him.

“I want you to do well on your own, son.  Just humor me for a bit?”

Prompto sighed and nodded, “sure dad.”

He knew Dave cared, and this was his preferred way of showing it.  And really, Prompto wasn't ready to leave the nest. He'd only had his big hunter family for five years, and even nearing adulthood, he didn't want to run off on his own forever.   He knew that his room in Meldacio would always be there, and that he could approach any hunter and be welcomed on a hunt or even split a motel room or caravan for a night.

If anyone ever asked, Prompto knew that the one thing he was most attached to in Lucis was the feeling of belonging.  And he would be forever grateful to Dave for giving him that chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this marks the final chapter that takes place pre-game. Every chapter from this point forward will take place during the events of the game. And I have plans. It's going to be so much fun, because quite frankly, fuck canon.  
> Also, ship tags will start to be added during this second act of the story.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto officially meets the crown prince and his royal retinue.

“Hiya Prompto!” Cindy greeted.  She was elbow deep in the nicest looking Insomnian car Prompto had ever seen in his life.

“Hey Miss Cindy.  That's a nice car you got there,” he said with a grin.

“Only the best for His Highness,” she quipped. “Paw-paw says this His Majesty's car.”

Prompto let out the low whistle.  The windows were tinted, and no doubt as bullet proof as the rest of the exterior.  The leather seats looked insanely comfortable too. It seemed surprising a royal vehicle would break down though.

“Paw-paw also thinks His Majesty had it tampered with just so he could force the prince to meet us.”

Prompto laughed at that, before remembering his original purpose for stopping in Hammerhead.

“You haven't heard from Dad, have you?” he asked.  Cindy straightened up and shook her head.

“He said he was checking out a pack of voreteeth and I haven't heard from him since yesterday.  I sent out some greenies to check it out. He has headed south towards that ol’ abandoned farm.”

“The one halfway to Longwythe?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah, that's the one.”

“I'll check it out,” Prompto said.  He leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek. “Thanks Miss Cindy, you're a doll.”

“That's sweet of ya, but you know I'm married to the garage,” she said with a laugh. A washer hung around her neck like a ring and Prompto laughed with her.  He quickly finished refueling his bike and started her up. Prompto headed down the road, knowing exactly where to go.

The drive was only an hour long, and when he got to the abandoned farm, it was to see three men dressed in all black huddled together near the front door of the farm house.

Prompto hopped off the bike and approached.

“Man, what did Miss Cindy do to convince the crown prince himself to take up hunting,” he said.  The three whirled around, and the one with glasses drew a dagger from thin air. Prompto held up his hands and smiled.”Easy there.  I'm Dave's son. Miss Cindy was worried for her greenies and sent me along.”

“Greenies?” the really big one growled.

“Short for greenhorn, newbies.  Brand new hunters with shiny tags,” Prompto said.  He noted the tags hanging from their necks. Brand new and freshly engraved.

“I'm alright, Prompto.” Dave's voice came from behind the three Insomnians.  They shuffled aside, and Prompto saw him leaning against the door frame. He looked fine, but obviously favoring one leg.

“What happened?” he asked as he pressed forward.

“A nasty dualhorn caught me.  It's a big one,” Dave said. Prompto winced.

“Miss Cindy said you were tracking voreteeth.”

“Yeah well, the dualhorn scared ‘em all off.  And I ain't in no shape to deal with it now. I was gonna ask these boys to do it, but I'd feel better if a more experienced hunter went with them.”

“Gotcha.  Take the bike and go back to Hammerhead, I'll give them a hand.” Prompto tossed Dave the keys.

“Now wait a minute-” the prince started to protest.

“No offense meant, your Highness, but you ever fight a wild animal until today?” Prompto asked.  He glanced between the three and idly wondered what the hell was in the water in Insomnia that all three of them were ridiculously attractive.

“He has a point, Noctis,” the one with glasses said. “While we're all well trained, most of our combat experience comes from controlled environments.”

The prince shrugged his shoulders. “Lead the way then.”

“Great, I'm Prompto, by the way, Prompto Auburnbrie.”

“Noctis.  My adviser, Ignis Scientia and Shield, Gladio Amicitia.”

Prompto nodded in greeting, then turned back to his father.

“Be careful,” he said.

“Could say the same to you.  I'll call as soon as my phone is charged.”

“You'd better.  You worried Miss Cindy something fierce.”

Dave clapped him on the shoulder and headed for his bike.  Prompto waited until the bike was out of sight.

“Right, let's get tracking.”

The dualhorn's trail was so obvious, a child could follow it.  It left a swath of overturned stones, broken shrubs, and dripping viscous dark blood.  They tracked it to one of the rock formations near Longwythe, and worse, they unintentionally cornered the thing.

“What the hell is wrong with it?” Gladio asked.  He had already drawn his sword, which was ridiculous in size.  Prompto just barely managed to not make a compensation joke, and instead focused on loading his rifle.

“That, my friend, is what happens to animals when the Scourge gets into it,” Prompto said. “It's going to charge, so be ready to move.”

He aimed his rifle and fired.  The dualhorn roared as its primary horn shattered.

“Quite a shot,” Ignis commented.  The dualhorn charged. The four of them dove out of the way and Prompto slung the rifle back over his shoulder and reached for his machete.  Gladio had managed to swat the dualhorn off course, and the prince jumped into the fray with a short sword in hand.

Despite their inexperience, the three worked well together, watching each other's backs, and Prompto kept up with them easily.  The final blow was dealt by Ignis, who buried a dagger into the dualhorn's eye. It went down with a scream, and the prince cheered at their success.

Prompto nudged its flank with his boot. “It's almost too bad.  Dualhorn steak is delicious, but unless you want the Scourge too, you can't eat any of it.”

The three grimaced at his words, but Prompto collected the destroyed horn and handed it off to Ignis.

“Proof of your completed hunt.  Without it, you can't get paid,” he said.

“We would be willing to split the reward with you,” Ignis said.  Prompto shrugged.

“Don't really need it.  I can pick up bigger hunts thanks to my rank, and the big ones pay real good.  Keep the money, I get the feeling you're gonna need it.”

“Our thanks, then,’ Ignis said.  He pushed his glasses back up his nose, and Prompto quietly copied the motion with his own.

“It's getting pretty dark out,” the prince said, his face turned up to the sky.

“Come on, let's get to a haven.  We don't want to be caught out after dark,” Prompto said with a shudder.

They made it to the nearest haven with time to spare, and the three moved to set up camp, pulling items from thin air with a motion and a trail of crystal blue light.  Prompto watched as their tent was pitched and three chairs plus a camp stove and table was all set up.

“Wow, you guys sure are prepared,” he commented. 

“The only thing we weren't prepared for was the Regalia breaking down,” Ignis said with a frown.

“That real nice car Miss Cindy was working on?”

“The very same.”

The camp was set up and Prompto made himself useful by helping Ignis prepare their dinner, much to the man's protestations.

“Nonsense, you're feeding me, so the least I can do is help you,” he insisted.

“That's very kind of you.”

Ignis served up four dishes for them, and handed two to Prompto.

“Take these to Gladio and Noctis, please.”

“Sure thing!  But, you sure the big guy isn't stealing the prince's plate?  What the heck were they feeding him?”

Ignis laughed at his words.

“I assure you, His Highness's lack of muscle tone is entirely his own fault.  He won't eat his vegetables,” Ignis said in a conspiratorial whisper. Prompto laughed and moved to pass out the dishes.  Once his hands were free, Ignis handed him his plate, and Prompto happily sat down on the haven's stone floor to eat.

“You may sit in my seat, Prompto,” Ignis said.  Prompto shook his head and swallowed his bite of food.

“I couldn't do that, it's your chair.  Plus I'm used to roughing it. The fact that I'm getting a meal this nice is a luxury to me.  The only time I get a great home cooked meal is from Ma.”

He refused to budge so Ignis only sighed and sat down to eat.

After dinner, Prompto volunteered to wash dishes, which Ignis absolutely refused and instead volunteered Noctis and Gladio to do it.  The pair grumbled but moved to get to it.

This group of men were strange.  Despite his status, Noctis didn't do much in the way of ordering his two retainers around, and they were all fairly casual with each other.  In general the three acted more like good friends than anything else. It was surprising.

Off in the distance, he heard the creak of an iron giant rising up from the ground.  This certainly felt like a familiar scenario.

“Whoa, is that a daemon?”

Prompto looked up to see the prince staring off into the dark.

“That, is an iron giant.  Tough as shit to take down, but not as bad as red giants.  They're even tougher and carry flaming meat cleavers for swords.”

“Damn.  I can't Imagine living out here like this,” he said.  Prompto hummed in thought.

“It takes all sorts to make it out here.  Everyone helps everyone. We look out for each other.  It's why the hunters were established.”

Noctis was studying his tags, the firelight danced off the shining metal.

“And the tags?”

“Sometimes...sometimes there isn't enough left of a person to identify them.  The tags make it easier. Gives us something to bring back to next of kin.”

Calix Argentum came to mind.  There had been so little of him left.  And his son who didn't even appreciate his own father, just wanted his old gun.  Prompto fiddled with the strap that help the Quicksilver in its holster.

“I've only seen a daemon up close once before when I was a little kid.”

“Yeah, they can be terrifying.”

“Prompto, I'm afraid we don't have an extra sleeping bag, but you are welcome to share the tent with us tonight,” Ignis said.

“Oh, sure thing.  Thanks!”

Gladio was banking the fire and the prince looked like he was nodding off already.

“I'm knocking out now, see you guys in the morning,” Noctis mumbled before he climbed into the tent.

When Prompto ducked into the tent behind Gladio, it was to see the prince and adviser curled up close.  He blinked in surprise but said nothing. It wasn't like it was any of his business.

A spare blanket and pillow had been set aside for him, and he gratefully removed his boots and belt, and rolled himself up into the blanket to stay warm.

 

He woke with the dawn, and Ignis was already up, while Gladio and Noctis slept on.  He stepped out if the tent and put his boots back on.

“Oh, good morning,” Ignis greeted.  He was sipping a cup of coffee, while a frying pan full of breakfast sausage sizzled on his camp stove.

“Do you do all the cooking?” Prompto asked. 

“I've been cooking for Noctis for a number of years now.  I've gotten quite good at it. And I enjoy making breakfast. I'm a morning person, and it gives me a moment if peace and quiet.”

“Oh.  I'm gonna go for a quick jog.  I'll be back in a bit.”

Prompto made sure the Quicksilver was strapped to his thigh, and the laces of his boots were snug.

“Is that comfortable for a jog?” Ignis asked.

“Rule number one of surviving Lucian wildlands: never go anywhere unarmed.  I can use my machete, but I'll always be more comfortable with a gun in my hand.”

Prompto finished stretching and hopped off the edge of the haven and took off.  The jog cleared his head and woke him up. It was early enough that the scrub and dust hadn't been heated by the sun, but it was plenty light out to not trip over anything.

He turned around d after twenty minutes and headed back.  Once he returned, Ignis offered him a bottle of water and some breakfast.  Prompto fetched his phone from the tent, and ate while he listened to the voice mail on speaker.

“Hey Prompto, I just got a call from Cor.  Apparently the Lucian High Council wants an Auburmbrie at the treaty signing.  Something about representing the hunters of greater Lucis. The only thing that could hope to get Ma to leave Meldacio is Etro herself, and I'm needed out in the field.  I want you to go. Soon as you get back to Hammerhead with those greenies, make for the checkpoint. Cor'll be waiting for you.”

Prompto fumbled with his phone.  Gladio and Ignis were staring. He quickly called his dad and put the phone to his ear.  He heard the click of the call being picked up.

“You can't be serious!”

“I'm dead serious.”

“Wouldn't it make more sense for you to go?  Ma won't give you title of family head yet, but it's you in all but name!  I'm just Prompto!”

“You're the future of the organization.  This treaty signing concerns our future, your future.  Please, son.”

Prompto groaned.

“This is ridiculous.  Did the Marshall say why exactly they want us there?”

“Well, considering that the signing is going to hand over all of greater Lucis to the empire, they figure we should have some kind of a voice there.”

Prompto could detect just a hint of bitterness in Dave's voice.  He was right. Soon, he wouldn't be a Lucian, he'd be a Niff, not just in appearance, but in name.

“Yeah, yeah okay.  I think Miss Cindy has a set of my nice clothes in Hammerhead.”

“Why would Cindy have your clothes?”

Oh.  Shit.

“Anyway!” he continued loudly, “I'll see you in a bit.  Bye Dad, love ya.”

He hung up.

“So, how do you know the Marshall?” Gladio asked.

“Oh, he saved my dad's life, a few years back.  It was my first hunt, actually. It didn't go well.  I had to drag Dad all the way back to Hammerhead at sunset, and he was slowly bleeding out.  If he hadn't been there with those fancy curative, I don't even know what I would have done.”

“Gladio, we're wasting daylight and we still need to walk back to Hammerhead. Please wake Noctis so we can get to packing up.”

Gladio grunted and ducked into the tent.  There was silence for a moment and then a startled yelp as Gladio stepped back out, dragging Noctis by the ankle.

“Gladio, come on!”

“Rise and shine, Highness. We got places to be today.”

“Indeed.  We do need to be in Gladin Quay by tomorrow, and it's still a bit of a drive,” Ignis said stiffly.

Noctis kicked his leg free of Gladio's grip and stood.

“Yeah, yeah, off to marry someone I already consider my sister.” Noctis disappeared back into the tent.  Prompto helped them break down camp and watched as every item was tucked away into thin air with a small shower of blue crystal.  It was fascinating.

Once they were all packed up, they were off.  The prince set the pace at a comfortable jog, though Prompto noted he favored one leg slightly.  They followed the road towards Hammerhead, and paused twice to deal with the pack of voreteeth Dave had been tracking before.

The massive shark that marked the outpost was visible in the distance when a looming shadow passed overhead.  He glanced up and yelled.

“Get down!” He grabbed the closest person and dragged him down to the dirt.  The zu swooped over them, its massive talons passing just feet from where they'd stood upright.  It flew off, headed south.

“What was that?” Noctis asked as they stood up and dusted off.

“The zu.  Largest bird in Lucis.  I've never seen it so far from Ravatogh before.”

They kept moving forward, and were back in Hammerhead just shy of midday.  Dave was lounging in one of Cid's chairs while Cindy was out front, polishing up the Regalia.

“Ya made it back in one piece!” she said with a smile.  The three looked over the car while Prompto wandered towards Dave

“The zu nearly snatched up the prince.  We might wanna send someone to check out Ravatogh to find out why it's not roosting like normal,” he said.  Dave stared before hastily reaching for his phone.

“I think Sam and his crew are out there.  I'll have them check it out if they're close enough.”

Dave made the call while Prompto spoke to Cindy and disappeared into her loft space over the garage.  He quickly packed up a couple changes of clothes, including his nicest pair of denims and a button down shirt.  He came back to Dave eyeing him.

“So, you and Cindy?”

“Its uh, it's just casual, Dad,” he said.  Dave hummed but said nothing more.

“Better get going, you don't wanna keep Cor waiting.” Dave stood up. “Be careful in there. I don't trust the empire as far as I can throw ‘em.  There's a reason his Highness was sent out of the city without an announcement. Cor says they expect some kind of trap. Please, be careful.”

“I will.”

“Remember, you're an Auburnbrie, and we face the dawn.”

Prompto hugged Dave and took his keys back.  He made sure his bag was strapped down and straddled the seat.  Before he could start the engine Cindy raced up and kissed him on the cheek.

“You be careful round all those fancy city slickers, now,” she said with a smile.

“I will. I'll be back before you've had time to miss me.”

Prompto rode off towards the checkpoint with the foreboding feeling that everything was going to change.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fall of Insomnia

Prompto's hands itched for a weapon.  The moment he had laid eyes on Verstael Besithia, his first instinct was to put a bullet between the man's eyes.  But Cor had grudgingly taken his weapons from him when he had stepped foot onto the Citadel grounds. 

“I know how you hunters are, but only the Crownsquard and Kingsglaive can be armed in the Citadel,” Coe said.

Alarm bells rang through his head, and Prompto knew the moment Besithia's roamed by the the mad scientist knew exactly who he and what he was.  Not that anything could be done about it.

Because they were now sealed within the chamber where King Regis and Emperor Iedolas were set to sign the peace treaty that would hand all of Greater Lucis over to Niflheim.

A drone buzzed above them, broadcasting the signing to the city outside.  Words were exchanged between the two royals, though Prompto couldn't make them out from where he'd been positioned in the very back of the Lucian side of the room.

It turned out that the Auburnbies were a noble family.  One of the few who hadn't relocated to Insomnia when the wall was pulled back.  Instead they had founded the hunters to help and protect the common people from the sudden onslaught of daemons they were faced with.  Other nobles had turned up their noses by the sight of Prompto with his obvious foreign looks, and denims paired with a button down shirt, and his accent.

He had only shrugged, showed his papers where he had to and carried on.  He was here because they had asked for an Auburnbrie, and he was who had been spent.  And really, they had four options, and of them, Prompto was the obvious choice.

He blinked and suddenly weapons were drawn and there was a magical shield surrounding the council and nobles present.  Prompto couldn't say what truly happened next because it was absolute chaos.

High Commander Nox Fleuret was screaming while fire destroyed his arm, a giant mech of a soldier had killed Lord Amicitia and suddenly he was eternally grateful for the jacket and shoulder holster Marshal Leonis had shoved at him.

And now he was shooting at the giant mech which was actually the Kingsglaive Captain?  Prompto was so confused but now wasn't the time to care because he was suddenly protecting the King while running for their lives. 

“Your Majesty!”

Prompto whirled and pointed his gun at a beautiful blond woman.

“Oh shit you're the Oracle.”

He lowered his gun as she glanced between the king and Prompto.  The king shuffled forward, his injuries and chronic pain made him slow and stiff.  He reached out and in a surprisingly smooth motion reached up and pulled the coronet of horns from his hair and pressed it and something else into the Oracle's hands.

“Get these to Noctis, please,” he said. He sounded so tired and seemed to be resigned that he wouldn't be making it out of the Citadel.  There was a crash from the lift doorway and it exploded open.

“Your Majesty,” the Oracle began to protest, but was cut off when Prompto was shoved closer to her and her Glaive guard.  A shield sprang up between them and the king.

“Glaive Ulric, get Lunafreya to Noctis, get her safely to Altissia.  No other Glaive can be trusted. Glauca is Drautos. There's no telling who else among your brothers can be trusted.”

The mech, Prompto now understood that this was a man in armor. The Glaive saluted and bowed to the king.

“Come along, Your Highness.  We need to go.”

He grabbed the Oracle by the hand and the three scrambled out of the chamber.  They were part way down the emergency staircase when the Glaive gasped and stumbled.  He cursed loudly, but they kept moving.

They crashed through an emergency exit and were surrounded by MTs and daemons.  Prompto raised his gun and began to fire.

“Keep moving, I'll cover for you!” he yelled.  The Glaive kept dragging the Oracle along and they made it to the garage where he shoved her into an armored car.

Prompto followed and hopped on his bike.  He knew if he left it behind Ma Ezma would wallop him good and he would probably never see it again.  He stayed close to the car and they escaped the Citadel.

The rest of the city was in chaos.  MTs and daemons slaughtered civilians in the streets as the Crownsguard struggled to fight them off.  The roads were nearly impassable, and Glauca caught up to them on the freeway. Prompto shot at the man, but his shots just pinged off the armor and didn't even leave a scuff mark to show for it.  He was poised to rip the roof off the car when a big rig suddenly crashed into him and threw him off the overpass.

More daemons swarmed on them and for a moment, it seemed like they were done for.  Something flew out of the sun roof of the car and detonated among the daemons, destroying them all.  He didn't even get the chance to appreciate the explosion when he caught Glauca fast approaching them from behind.

“He really just does not give up,” he spat.  The car flips when Glauca rams it and Prompto narrowly avoids getting crushed.  The Glaive and Oracle dragged themselves from the vehicle and for a long moment there's a standoff.  Then the Oracle moved to out something on her finger. Its wrested from her hands and the Glaive is addressing Prompto.

“Get her out of here!”

Prompto quickly beckoned the Oracle closer and she gets on the bike behind him.

“Hold on tight,” he said.  Her arms wrap around his weight then more strength than he expects from such thin arms.  He guns it forward the moment the Glaive slips a ring into his finger and his body explodes into the same flames that destroyed the High Commander's arm.

The ride out of Insomnia is a blur, and all Prompto can really remember with clarity were the statues of the old kings coming to life and destroying the enormous daemon Niflheim had brought to destroy the city.  Just before dawn, a dagger landed in the concrete nearby and the Glaive appeared in a shatter of blue crystal. And he's still on fire. Prompto skidded to a halt and the Oracle hopped off the bike.

A heel on her shoes snapped and she kicked her heels off with an impatient huff.

“Not much you can do for me, my Lady,” the Glaive said.  His voice was thick and wet, likely from some kind of internal bleeding.  She ignored him and pressed her forehead to his. She whispered a prayer.

Nothing happens for a long time.  Then the fire recedes and his ashy skin slowly turns an angry red, then pink.  His breathing eased and the dying light in his eyes rekindles.

The Oracle slipped the ring from his finger and stowed it away somewhere. 

“Thank you,” the Glaive stammers before he collapses against the concrete barrier.  Prompto drops the kickstand and rushes forward. But the Glaive is already unconscious.

“Lady Lunafreya, we need to keep moving.  The daemons might be gone for now, but the Empire is still chasing you.”

“I couldn't possibly leave him now,” she said.  Prompto isn't surprised by this. He glanced at his bike and bit his lip.

“It'll be a really tight fit, but I think my bike can hold all three if us.  I also won't be able to go as fast with so much weight.”

Prompto managed to lift and drag the Glaive over to the bike and Lunafreya sat as far back as she dared.  The Glaive is settled in front of her, and she held onto him as Prompto got himself situated at the very front.  Lunafreya's hands came up and held onto him as best she could so the Glaive wouldn't slip.

Their next challenge was making it to the check point outside the city and getting through without risking any civilian lives.

Which was already handled when through the driving rain, he spotted Marshal Leonis taking out the MTs and mechs stationed there.

He waved them forward and Prompto risked speeding up now that they were on the relatively flat and straight road to Hammerhead.

It takes a couple hours and the rain hasn't slowed at all.  They're exhausted. His eyes are drooping and he can feel the tremble in the Oracle's hands as she struggled to keep the Glaive upright between them.

At long last, Prompto could make out the shark in the distance and he breaths in a deep sigh of relief.  He eased the bike forward and he shivered in the cold. It rained so infrequently in Leide it was rather shocking.  But he knew the scrubland would soak it all up quickly enough.

He pulled into the drive and killed the engine and started to list to one side.

“Prompto!”

Cindy was a wet blue in his eyes, and he could hardly make out her words.

“Get her inside. No one can know she's here.  Until we can get a message to Prince Noctis,” he groaned.  Cindy nodded and helped Lunafreya off the bike.

Prompto managed to drag the Glaive off the bike when Cid appeared.

“Get yer scrawny behind in the house and get some sleep,” he said gruffly.  Prompto nodded and together, they dragged the Glaive into Cid's small home. He wrestled the prone man out of his boots and heavy coat and left him on the couch with a blanket.

Prompto reclined in the armchair and with a heavy blanket thrown over him, he fell asleep.

 

He awoke to a commotion far sooner than he would have liked.  His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, but at least he was warm.  He stumbled for the front door to find Prince Noctis and his retinue parked in at the gas station and he was having a loud conversation with Cid.

Prompto stomped his feet into his boots and walked over to where they stood.

“Prompto! You made it out of the city?” Ignis asked.  The three men looked shaken and pale. No doubt they had woken up this morning to the news of what transpired the night before.

“Barely,” he said with a yawn. He was still exhausted.

“Noctis!”

Lunafreya raced out of Cindy's garage, and they watched as the prince swept her up in a hug.  Cindy must have gotten her cleaned up because her scrapes were bandaged and she was obviously wearing some of Cindy's clothes.  They hung off her thinner frame, but at least she was out of that uncomfortable looking dress.

“Luna! You're okay!” he spun her around and for a moment, the weight Prompto had first seen on his shoulders lifted.

“Yes, thanks so Glaive Ulric and this gentleman right here, I was able to get out safely.”

Lunafreya looked over at Prompto and frowned.

“I'm sorry, I never caught your name,” she said.

“Oh man, Ma would wallop me for forgetting my manners. I'm Prompto Auburnbrie, Your Highness.”

She gave him a soft smile and Prompto felt his insides melt.  The door to Cid's house opened and shut. Lunafreya's jaw set.  Prompto knew the look if a stubborn woman well.

“Did I get trampled by a herd if behemoths?”

“Glaive Ulric! That was a very stupid thing to do!” Lunafreya scolded.

“It got us out if the city and away from Drautos, didn't it?”

“You nearly died!  The Ring is powerful, and we are lucky I was able to heal you at all,” she said.

“What?  What's going on?” Noctis asked.

“Glaive Ulric was charged with my protection, and to do it, he put on the Ring of the Lucii,” Lunafteya said.  Noctis stared.

“How are you alive?” he asked.

“A miracle, Your Highness.”

“Where is the Ring now?” Ignis asked.  Lunafreya held out her palm. The Ring and the king's coronet sst in her hand. Noctis went still and he reached out for it slowly. 

“Its time, Noctis.”

“For what?”

“Your birthright, your destiny,” Lunafreya said.  Prompto was still confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell at me on Twitter @battle_goats!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first two royal arms are obtained.

Prompto thought he got what was going on.  There's an ancient prophecy involving Noctis, Lunafreya and the starscourge.  Niflheim succeeding in stealing the crystal and killing King Regis was just dramatic timing on the Empire's part.  Prompto wasn't too sure about that, but he wasn't going to bring it up when he was probably the least educated person in the middle of this impromptu war meeting in Takka's diner.

“It's both a blessing and a curse that the Empire has pronounced you both dead,” Ignis said. “It will allow us to move freely without attracting attention, but it also means we cannot attract it ourselves.”

“Not to be a buzzkill on that, but we literally have the Crown Prince, the Oracle, and three more men dressed in Lucian royal black in this group.  Not exactly great for avoiding attention,” Prompto pointed out. Granted, Lunafreya hardly looked like her soft, polished, angelic self. There was an ugly purple bruise on her face, she was dressed in clothes that didn't fit her, and her customary complicated up-do had been swapped for a basic braid.

“We did pack some spare clothing that isn't Crownsguard issue.  I suppose we could wear those. Though Glaive Ulric will have to get a change if clothes.”

“You mean Captain Ulric,” Noctis cut in.  Gladio, Ignis and Nyx all stared at him.

“I'm sorry, did you just call me captain?” Nyx asked. “Your Highness.”

“Ayep.  You're the only living glaive that we can guarantee isn't a traitor right now.  And with Drautos dead, that makes you captain,” Noctis said with a nod of finality.

“Well, Noctis does have the power to promote whomever he wishes, now,” Ignis stated softly.  There was a collective wince from the rest of the group.

There was a commotion outside and Dave rushed into the diner, Somnus hot on his heels.  Gladio's cell phone rang at the same time.

“Prompto!”

“Dad!”

Dave crashed into Prompto and swept him up in a tight embrace.

“Oh, thank the Six you're okay!  When I saw the Wall fall, I feared the worst. Especially when you weren't picking up your phone.”

“I'm okay, Dad,” Prompto mumbled.  He was suddenly very uncomfortable, especially because he was sitting in the presence of others whose families had been lost to the attack.

Gladio finished his call and sagged against the table in relief.

“Iris is safe in Lestallum.  She made it out with Jared and Talcott,” he said.  Noctis and Ignis both relaxed as well at the news. Prompto didn't know who they were talking about, but they were clearly important to Gladio.

“Anyway, I got a call from the Marshal, he's got an assignment for the hunters.  We need to locate as many of the Royal Tombs as possible. And he's waiting for you all to get to Keycatrich sooner, rather than later," Dave announced.

“That's all well and good, but our camping gear is only enough for three.  Our tent can hold a fourth person, but it would hardly be appropriate to have Lady Lunafreya share with us.  It is hardly appropriate to have her travel with so many men, as it is," Ignis said.

“Not like she can travel alone, either,” Prompto pointed out.

“The Lady Lunafreya is going with you.  I may not have any experience camping, but I am capable of defending myself.  Miss Aurum was kind enough to lend me some of her clothing, so I do believe I will manage,” Lunafreya said.  Dave chuckled at how dumbfounded the men at the table looked.

“Prompto, trade you keys.  I'll take the bike back to Meldacio, you can take the truck.  And keep Somnus with you, he'll make a good lookout for you,” Dave said.  Prompto traded their keys and Dave herded the group of youths out of the diner. 

“This doesn't solve our predicament with supplies,” Ignis said.

“We're hunters, kid.  There's a full kit in the truck that'll suit ya.  It's not the newest or fanciest, but the tent is in good shape and the sleeping bags are clean,” Dave said. “Now get going before you make Cor impatient.”

Except an argument over how to divide the group between the two cars began almost immediately.

“Luna can ride with us, there's still a free seat in the Regalia,” Noctis said.  Seemed reasonable. Keep the royals in the armored car. Nyx, for whatever reason didn't like that plan.

“Look, my orders are to act as her Shield.  I can't exactly do that if we're separated.”

“It'll be safer in the Regalia.  Its armored, and Ignis, Gladio and I will all be there.”

Nyx looked ready to argue again.

“Glaive Ulric - Nyx, I will be fine.  Noctis is right. And Prompto will be with you, and right behind the Regalia,” Lunafreya said.  She placed a placating arm on his wrist. Nyx heaved a sigh.

“Fine.  Blondie, you had better not fall behind in that clunker of yours.”

“Hey! Dad only ever has the best take care of his truck,” Prompto retorted, with a nod to Cindy.

“Right, let's perform an inventory check before we head out,” Ignis suggested. “Nyx, please go into the store and try and find something that doesn't scream ‘glaive’ to wear.”

Nyx walked off without a word.  Prompto lowered the tailgate and climbed into the truck bed.  The tent, sleeping bags and camp chairs were all accounted for, including the emergency gas can.  When he turned to hop out, Somnus and two smaller dogs clambered into the bed.

“Oh, hello, who are you two?”

The white one sniffed his hand and shoved her muzzle into his palm.

“Their names are Pryna and Umbra.  They are divine messengers who take the form of dogs.  They can travel through space and time to get where they want to go.”

Lunafreya reached out and ran a hand down Umbra's back.  He wore a harness with a bag attached to it.

“Umbra has always been willing to act as a messenger between myself and Noctis, carrying messages back and forth.”

“Huh, that's pretty cool.” Prompto scratched Somnus behind the ears. “This is Somnus, he barks at daemons and sleeps a lot.” Lunafreya let out a soft giggle and joined Prompto in giving Somnus attention.

“Quit flirting and let's go!” Noctis yelled from the other car.  Prompto blushed and refused to make eye contact with Lunafreya. She was offered the front seat of the Regalia while Noctis and Gladio climbed in the back.

“Hey, come on, blondie.”

Prompto glanced at Nyx and made sure the three dogs were content to stay in the truck bed.  He hopped down and shut the gate. Nyx was already in the passenger seat and Prompto climbed in.  He took a second to shift the seat forward and adjust the mirror before he started the engine.

Cindy waved the two cars off and he turned west to lead the way to Keycatrich.  The drive was quiet and Prompto kept the radio off. He didn't need to keep hearing the propaganda laden news reports the empire was spewing out over the channels.

“So, I don't wanna make shit awkward,  but you're not Lucian born,” Nyx said.

“Nah.  I'm a Niff.  Made it to Lucis when I was thirteen and Dad took me in.  I was officially adopted and got my citizenship at fifteen.  What about you, how does someone from a famous Galahdian Hunting family end up working for the crown?”

“Same way we all did.  Without the Wall, it was either fight or die.  We never organized ourselves the way you all did on this side of the Channel, so protecting each other was a lot harder.”

Prompto didn't miss the way Nyx's fists clenched at his own words.

“How'd you know I'm a hunter?” Nyx asked.  Prompto chuckled.

“Any Hunter who knows a lick if history knows the name Ulric.  Ma Ezma made sure I knew.”

They drove by abandoned houses and rusted out war machines. If there was any part of Lucis that showed signs of the war, it was northern Leide.

He glanced through the mirror and saw the others behind them, staring at the hulking shells.  Unlike Nyx, who had been on the frontlines, and Prompto who had been bred to be a soldier, the others had never seen the realities of combat and it showed on their faces.

“I hope those guys are going to hold up.  It sounds like there's a long journey ahead,” Prompto said.

“They'll have to adapt, or they won't make it.  Much as I don't want to consider it, its true.”

Prompto pulled onto the dirt road that led to the ruins and parked at the hunter outpost, and the Regalia pulled in behind him. A woman in black approached and he spotted the Crownsguard seal on her jacket.

“I'm relieved to see you safe, Prince Noctis, and you as well Lady Lunafreya,” she said.  Her voice was soft, and she looked kindly.

“You too, Monica.  Where's Cor?” Noctis asked.

“Up ahead, he's waiting for you now.”

“Okay, let's go.  Prompto, do you know where this tomb is?”

“Yeah, follow me.”

The group moved at a slow jog that wasn't much faster than walking.  Prompto lead them down the dirt road towards the trench, and spotted Cor leaning against a stone.

“Cor!”

He glanced up at Noctis's call, and some of the tension in his shoulders bleed away.  The group approached and he looked them over. He didn't even bat an eyelash at Lunafreya's presence.

“It's time for you to begin collecting the royal arms.  There's a tomb here, and another located deep within the trench.  Let's go.”

Cor lead them up the path where they were dive bombed by daggerquills.  Prompto drew his gun and shot down one that had its talons aimed for Lunafreya.  The birds were fast and Gladio's ridiculous sword was useless to them, while both Noctis used the superior reach of polearms to stab at the birds.

Lunafreya drew a trident from thin air and stabbed the nearest bird.  It screeched, and with a flock of her wrists, it flew off the prongs and splattered against the stone wall.  Prompto sputtered, but kept his head until the battle was over. Cor urged them on.

“Luna!  That was amazing!” Noctis cried. “Where did you learn to do that?  You never mentioned it before.”

Lunafreya clasped her hands behind her back and smiled. “Ravus made sure I could defend myself against some if the imperial officers.  I might be the Oracle, but I was still a political prisoner in Tenebrae.”

Her words drew the others up short, and the slightly relaxed mood dampened.

“But I would rather be a fugitive on the run here with you, then be a prisoner in my own home.”

They crested the incline and came face to face with the royal tomb.  The structure was large, but surprisingly simple for anything built for royalty.  Honestly Prompto was expecting something much more impressive. Cor pulled a key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock and turned.  The doors rumbled open and they all piled inside.

Somehow, it was underwhelming.  The only thing that lay inside was the tomb, upon which the likeness of the king it housed was carved.  They all looked to Noctis, who hesitated for a moment. He pulled the ring from that crystalline space Prompto now knew was called the armiger.  Noctis slid the ring on and grit his teeth, as if in pain.

Then, he reached out towards the tomb, and the sword scattered into light and reformed above them.  They all shuffled back, unsure of what would happen next.

Prompto flinched as the blade flew at Noctis and struck him.  He glowed briefly and a crystal spectre of the weapon spun around Noctis for a long moment before disappearing.

“The power of the kings of old goes with you, Your Majesty.”

Noctis flinched.  It struck Prompto that this was probably the first time anyone had addressed him by his new title.  They filed out of the tomb and Cor handed the key to Noctis. 

“You must collect the others.  It sounds like a daunting task, but most of the tombs have been lost to time.  I believe in you.”

“Cor, why didn't Dad say anything?  Why did he put me above everyone?”

“You're father spent much of your life doing everything he could so that you could feel like a person.  He wanted to be selfish, just this once, and guarantee that you would live.”

Noctis looked unhappy with the answer, but he nodded and walked away.

“Prompto, lead them into the Trench.  There's another tomb located in the tunnels.  Meet me back at the outpost when you're done.”

“Gotcha.”

Prompto had never been allowed in the tunnels, so he didn't actually know where to go once inside, but he could get them there, at least.

“A moment, please,” Ignis said.

“What is it?”

“Before we go any further, it would be helpful if Prompto, Nyx and Lady Lunafreya had access to the armiger.  And we can restore the Marshal's access to the Crownsguard armiger while we're at it.”

“Oh, right.  Let's start with Cor and Nyx so Luna and Prompto can see how it works.”

Cor stepped up to Noctis and kneeled before him.  Noctis took Cor's right hand and seemed to cradle it in his grip.  There was a moment of stillness before a shattering of blue crystal enveloped their hands.  Noctis released his hand and pressed it to his chest.

“Whoa, it did not feel like that when I bonded to Gladio and Iggy,” he said.

“The more bonds you create, the heavier it will feel,” Cor said as he stood.  He flicked his wrist and a sword was in his hands. “That's better. It'd be a shame to lose access to one of my favorite swords.”

Nyx stepped up and kneeled.

“Do you think you could make me a full Glaive again?  I liked being able to use magic, and warp.”

“I've never done it before, but I think I can figure it out.”

“Oh boy.  Please don't blow me up by overloading me with magic."

Noctis took Nyx's hand and for a moment nothing happened.  Then Nyx gasped and staggered to his feet. His eyes looked wild and electricity cracked around him.  He held out a hand, and a plume of fire burst to life in his palm. He heaved a sigh and grinned.

“Congrats, Majesty, you've made your first Glaive.”

Noctis chuckled and waved Prompto over.  Prompto followed Cor and Nyx's examples and kneeled before his king.  Noctis took his hand. There was a zing that ran through his body like an electric shock and the hair on his arms pricked up.

“To pull something from the armiger, you need to picture it, and then reach.” Noctis demonstrated and his hand wrapped around his sword. “To put something back, you let go.”

Prompto nodded and thought of those energy drinks Noctis turned into curatives.  He did his best to picture it as clearly as he could. Image firmly in mind, he reached. 

There was a strange cooling sensation around his hand, then it was weighed down.  The can sat in his hand.

“Whoa!” Prompto exclaimed.  He let go of the can and it fell for a second before disappearing.  Lunafreya approached Noctis next.

“Its weird making you kneel,” he said.  She only smiled and held her hand out to him.  Noctis took and there was that moment of stillness.  Lunafreya gasped and Noctis looked like he'd been punched in the stomach.  Clearly having their respective magic interact caused a different reaction.

“This is a rather strange sensation,” she said.  She called her trident forth and released it. “There is definitely a difference between how my trident is stored. 

“Well, we're all set.  Let's go,” Noct said. Prompto hopped to the front for the group and lead them down the dirt path to the Trench entrance.

 

They emerged hours later, covered in dust, exhausted, and ready to relax.  Only the sun had set, and at some point an imperial dropship had parked itself nearby, with MTs idly patrolling the area.

There was a collective groan from the group as they pulled weapons and prepared for one last fight.  The fight was mercifully quick, and Prompto was grateful that no one had noticed his initial hesitance.  He knew he should tell them about him and where he came from. Especially if he was going to be running with them for a while, but he hadn't quite made up his mind.

They staggered back to the outpost when all was said and done.

“The caravan won't fit all six of us,” Ignis said.  Noctis continued inserting gil into the lock.

“We can at least all use the shower.  Specs can get us something to eat, and then we'll discuss sleeping arrangements after.  Luna gets the shower first though.”

Lunafreya seemed to have lost all semblance of care because she kicked off her boots and was pulling her Hammerhead Garage tee off without a care in the world.  The five men panicked and sputtered and slammed the caravan door shut.

They could hear Lunafreya laughing through the door.

“Wow, she is not at all like her public persona,” Prompto muttered.  His face was a little red, he had caught a glimpse of the smooth pale skin of her back and a bit of her bra.  He felt like a dumb horny teen, and he slapped his face to calm down. He shifted and caught an elbow to the ribs.

Nyx ruffled his hair and grinned at him. “I saw that, blondie.”

“Shut it.” Prompto shoved him away.  They sank into the picnic chairs and waited.  Less than five minutes later, Lunafreya emerged with damp hair, and looking a little more alert.  They each took a turn using the shower, and Ignis took control of the stove range.

After quick sandwiches the argument over sleeping arrangements began, until Gladio got impatient and shut then all up.

“There's two singles and a double.  Lady Lunafreya gets a single, Noct and Ignis will split the double, and I'll take the last single.  You two can fight over the couch.”

The couch was more of a loveseat that people generously called a couch.

“I'll sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor,” Prompto declared.  He was too tired to argue. He stomped out to the truck and grabbed a sleeping bag and Somnus.  Umbra and Pryna were gone. He came back inside and got comfortable. 

Gladio was already snoring as the others settled down for the night.  Prompto was cozy in his bag and Somnus curled up against his side.

“Night y'all, don't let the bed bugs bite,” he said.

“Wait, there aren't bed bugs are there?” Noctis asked as he sat up.  Ignis dragged him back down into his arms.

“Go to sleep, love, I'll keep you safe from the bed bugs.”

Prompto snorted out a laugh and let sleep finally claim him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team moves ever onward.

Prompto awoke to the sounds of clashing weapons.  He fought his way out of his sleeping back and reached for the nearest weapon.  Prompto shoved the door open and blinked. Ignis and Lunafreya faced each other, weapons in hand.

He clearly stared at the pair.

“Uhhhhh.”

“Good morning, Prompto.  We apologize if we woke you,” Ignis said.  Lunafreya attempted to stab him with the business end of her trident.

“What's going on?” he asked dumbly.  Ignis used the shaft of his halberd to vault over Lunafreya and get behind her.

“Just some light sparring.  Compared to the rest of you, I need it,” Lunafreya said.  Even without his glasses, Prompto could see her arms trembling with the effort of holding her trident up.  He had noticed it yesterday, while she looked healthy, she was likely underweight and didn't have much muscle mass to speak of.

“What's all the racket?” Noctis asked from behind Prompto.  He was wrapped in the duvet from the bed and was frowning. “Iggy, you left.”

Ignis put away his weapon and approached.

“My apologies,” he said softly.  Prompto awkwardly shuffled back into the caravan to roll up his sleeping bag to get it out of the way.  Ignis and Noctis spoke quietly for a moment longer, then Noctis returned to the bed and Ignis got started on breakfast.

Lunafreya sat on the bed she had slept in the night before and sighed.  Even after a full night's sleep, she still looked tired.

“I'm quite alright, Prompto.  The road ahead is long, and a bit of exhaustion now will hardly make a difference,” she said.

“Yeah, but there's no point in tiring yourself out first thing,” he said.  She gave him a smile, but it was the same one she used in public appearances.  An act to hide whatever hurt she was feeling.

Nyx and Gladio finally stirred and there was a small tussle to get to the bathroom first.  Ignis shook his head and Lunafreya only laughed at them. Breakfast was soon served and Noctis roused from sleep.  They were all finishing up when Lunafreya cleared her throat.

“There is something you should all know, before we move forward.  It pertains to the destiny set for Noctis and I. In order for Noctis to be strong enough to purge the starscourge, he must both collect the royal arms and obtain covenants from the Six.  To do this, they must be awakened.”

“How is that going to work?  Shiva and Ifrit are both dead,” Gladio asked.  Lunafreya shook her head.

“No mere mortal can truly kill an Astral.  Both still live, only their physical bodies were destroyed.  But awakening the Astrals will take a toll on my body, it will drain me of strength.  So much so I may not survive it.”

“What?!  No!” Noctis cried.

“I've known this.  I've accepted the possibility.  But there is one other thing. In order to purge the scourge from Eos, Noctis must die.”

There was stunned silence among them.  This was not at all what any of them expected.

“But I refuse to let that happen.  It is my duty to stand by your side, as Oracle.  But why should we pay for the mistakes made by the Astrals.  I know that there is another way. We simply have to find it.”

Noctis's fists were clenched on his knees and he looked angry.

“Did my father know about this?” he asked.

“Yes.  All the kings knew.  Because the Chosen King is,” Lunafreya hesitated, “more a matter of timing than anything else.”

“What do you mean?” Ignis asked.

“When a Lucis Caelum dies, their soul is absorbed into the Ring of the Lucii.  It acts as a conduit for the Crystal, but it's powered by all the past kings. Much like a slowly charging battery, no one really knew when it would be ready.  Not until the passing of King Mors. Then, you were decreed the Chosen King. All that was left was King Regis.”

“Why didn't anyone tell me? Why was I kept in the dark until now?!”

“Because King Regis ordered it.  He didn't want you to live with the shadow of your own death hanging over you,” Lunafreya said.  Noctis didn't look relieved by her words. 

“Instead I spent years thinking about his! Dad was only fifty! He looked seventy the day we left Insomnia!  I watched him age far faster than he should have because of that damn Ring!”

Noctis ripped the Ring off his finger and stared at it.  It looked so unassuming in his hand.

“The Six can go fuck themselves.  We will find a way to do this, Luna.  I'm not going to play their fucked up game.  We are going to fucking live and grow old with the people we love.”

Lunafreya smiled as Noctis reached for Ignis's hand and tangled their fingers together.

“Of course. I would not expect any less.”

 

Twenty minutes later, they were ready to head out after receiving a new set of directions from Cor.

“Destroying an Imperial base is hardly keeping a low profile,” Ignis muttered as he pushed his glasses back up his nose.

“He has a point though.  The base stands between us and Cleigne and Duscae,” Prompto said.

“Yes, let's go bash some heads in,” Noctis said.  They piled into their cars and were away.

The drive was quick, and the air around the base was creepily still.  They met up with Cor and Monica, and given their orders.

“Lady Lunafreya, perhaps it would be best if you waited behind,” Monica said.  They were circling around to the base's main hates.

“The Empire has taken just as much from as it has you, Guard Elshett.  I should hardly think you would want to be left behind when given the chance to experience some kind of retribution.”

“Well damn, never expected the Oracle to be spoiling for a fight,” Gladio muttered.  Lunafreya whirled around to face him. Even with a foot difference in height, she still managed to look at him as if he were much smaller.

“Much of what you know of me is all Imperial propaganda, and a mask.  Ten years ago, I would have accepted my fate with no thought to a different possibility.” She twirled her fingers, and a dagger materialized in her hand.  She pressed the point against Gladio's chin. “I am no wilting flower, Gladiolus Amicitia. You would do well to remember that.”

The dagger was released and Lunafreya marched forward, her blonde hair gleaming in the sunlight.

“Wow,” Prompto whispered.  A hand clapped on his shoulder and he looked up at Nyx.

“Catching flies, blondie.  Besides, a woman like that is way out of your league,” Nyx said. 

“As if you're in hers, either,” Prompto shot back.  Nyx scoffed, but Prompto saw how his eyes lingered on Lunafreya's back.  Prompto shook his head and hurried to catch up.

They came to the gate and found no sentries, and the gate was locked.

“Now what?” Gladio asked.  He had already drawn his sword, and held it against his shoulder.  Prompto glanced at the leather wrap he wore around his wrist.

“I can get us in,” he said.  All eyes turned to him. He took a deep steadying breath and tugged at the snaps holding the wrap on. “I'm sure you've all heard rumors about what sorts of experiments the Imperial scientists get up to.  Well, uh, here's the thing. I'm - I'm not just some refugee Niff.”

“What do you mean?” Ignis asked.  He was staring at Prompto's wrist.

“Twenty years ago, Dr. Verstael Besithia began work into the modern magitek units you know today.  But those aren't just robots. Not really. Every one of them started out as a person. A clone from the doctor himself.”

Prompto held out his arm, the inside of his wrist facing up.  In stark contrast to the lighter skin sat his barcode, still as dark and looking as freshly inked as if it had been put there yesterday.

“I escaped when I was thirteen, and made it all the way here, where Dad took me in.  I don't know if my barcode can get us in, but it's worth a shot.”

“I kept thinking that something about your face looked familiar. I couldn't put my finger on it, but knowing that your DNA comes from Besithia, I do see the resemblance,” Lunafreya said. “You're much cuter than he is, thought.”

Prompto's ears burned from the candid compliment.

“Wait, how do we know you aren't gonna turn on us with embedded sleeper orders?” Gladio asked.

“We don't get brainwashed like that because we're injected with daemon blood to turn us into the MT units you see on the battlefield.  Like I said, I got out at thirteen. The conversion process had only just started.”

“Gentlemen, we need to move,” Monica urged.  Prompto nodded and approached the scanner. He held his wrist up to it, and a moment later, the scanner beeped and the red blinking light turned green.

_ “Entry for unit NH-05953234 authorized.  Door opening.” _

“Huh.  Guess they assumed I died or something so they didn't scrub my credentials.”

Prompto could feel suspicious eyes watching him, but in the end, it would be Lunafreya and Noctis's choice if he would remain with the group.

The doors rumbled open and the MTs milling about turned on them.  As one, the troopers lurched forward, raising rifles and swords. Prompto drew his gun and shot two in the face before anyone else could react.  The sound spurred the others into action, and he caught Nyx tackling an MT to the ground, one of his daggers buried into its neck. 

Gladio stayed close to Lunafreya, his ridiculous sword sweeping the area around them clear.  Monica held a pole arm, and used it to great efficiency.

“Iggy behind you!” Gladio yelled.  Prompto turned and fired at the axe wielding MT coming up behind the man.

“Thank you, Prompto.:

“Don't mention it!”

Prompto ducked under and around a pair of whirling swords and reached for his machete.  He drove it through the gap in the chest plate and twisted. And daemon powered core shattered and the MT collapsed to the ground.

“Ooh, come to daddy,” he crowed when he spotted the circular saw it was equipped with.  Like anything more complex than a rifle, it was equipped with a barcode scanner, which he quickly swiped.  It lit up and the engine roared. Prompto whooped as he drove back into the battle, the teeth if the saw catching and ripping into armor and wiring. 

He grimaced when he got splattered in greasy lubricant and some daemon blood.  Blood which quickly evaporated under the sun's rays. He spun around in search of his next target, only to see that the battle was already over.

“Well, that was quick,” he quipped. They checked each other for injuries.  Prompto dragged a bandana from his pocket and tried to wipe away most of the grease from his face.

“Prompto, can you get these doors open?” Ignis waved him over to the second set of doors. He jogged over and scanned his barcode again.

“I always wanted this thing removed.  But it was the one thing we couldn't do.  No surgeons outside of Insomnia to do it. And going into the Crown City was out of the question. I never once thought it would be useful to me,” he said.

“We're grateful to you for your help.  And thank you, for being willing to reveal this secret to us,” Ignis said.

“Yeah well, this is nothing compared to some of the stuff I've learned about you guys the last two days.”

“True enough.”

The doors opened, and Noctis and Cor were waiting.

“Everyone all right?” Cor asked.  He looked the group over.

“Yes, no injuries, major or minor among us,” Ignis reported.  Cor opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a looming shadow and a voice over speaker phone.

The Imperial dropship opened its bay doors, and a mech fell out of it.

“Now what?” he groaned.

“Cor, you know this guy?” Noctis asked. Cor shrugged.

“I've encountered him only once before in the battlefield.  He fancies himself my rival.”

There were snorts of incredulity all around.  Then, the fight was on. The mech armor was formidable, and Prompto's quicksilver wasn't powerful enough to pierce it.  So he risked running in close and taking the circular saw to one of the arms. He managed to cut through the hydraulics that controlled the arm's movements.

The battle was soon over with so many of them attacking the one target, and its pilot retreated back into the Imperial drop ship and flew away.

“That was anticlimactic,” Lunafreya remarked.  She released her trident and sighed. She was obviously already tired.  Cor addressed the group before walking away with Monica.

“Prompto, let's go get the cars and so we may get going,” Ignis said.

“Oh, right.”

They jogged back to the parking area, discussing their next move as they went.

“Gladio will want to make haste to Lestallum to see his sister.  But I fear we will not make it before dark,” Ignis said. Prompto glanced up at the sky.  It was still early afternoon, but there was no guarantee they would make it.

“Then we would be best stopping at Alstor Slough.  There's a caravan at the rest stop, and a haven a short distance away,” Prompto said.

“We made the caravan work last night, but it camping my be a better bet for tonight.”

They made it back to the cars, and Prompto climbed into the truck.  He checked the bed, where Somnus slept peacefully until Prompto started the engine.  The dog hopper up and excitedly paced the bed before settling down again.

The rest of the team was picked up and they left the base behind.  The dusty plains of Leide morphed into the lush green wetlands of Duscae.  And true to Ignis's word, they made it as far as the Coernix station north of the Slough before it grew too dark to keep going. 

Gladio grumbled, though he perked up at the suggestion of camping at the nearby haven.  Noctis whined about having to walk there, but he gamely quieted down over Lunafreya's enthusiasm. 

“I've never camped before.  This sounds like it will be fun!” she said.  She was visibly tired, but her excitement seemed to give her a boost of energy, and she eagerly assisted with setting up camp.

For all the seriousness of their situation, her energy was infectious, and they were all smiling as the two tents were pitched, and Ignis's cooking station was unpacked.

“We may want to pick up some hunts before we make it to Lestallum.  Three extra mouths to feed means more provisions, which cost money,” Ignis said.  He stripped a garuda fillet from the bone, which he tossed to Somnus, who happily gnawed on it.

“We can pick up some hunts from the Crow's Nest at the rest stop, and at the chocobo post,” Prompto said.

“Chocobos?  I've never seen one in person before.  They aren't common in Tenebrae because if the terrain,” Lunafreya said.  Prompto dug his camera out of his backpack and turned it on.

“Here, I'll show you some pictures.  But I promise you, they don't compare to the real thing,” Prompto said.  Lunafreya plopped down on the surface of the haven and scooted closer. A breeze blew off the lake and she shivered.  Prompto shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. 

Dinner was served soon after, and they all ate eagerly after their long day.  The dishes were piled up in a basin full of water.

“The dishes will keep for tonight.  They can be taken down to the slough to be scrubbed once the sun has risen,” Ignis said when Nyx raised a brow at the pile.

“So, not to point out the obvious, but how is sleeping gonna work?” Prompto asked.  There was a long stretch of silence.

“Before anyone feels they need to defend my honor, I would like to point out that I am capable of protecting myself from untoward advances.  And - no, Noctis, don't say anything. You all cannot realistically fit in that one tent, so I am electing that I will share a tent with Noctis and Ignis.”

Prompto shrugged.

“Fine with me.  You high class city slickers are making a big deal of nothing, anyway.”

“Blondie's got a point.  We're stuck in a fairly shitty situation, and no one has the energy to care about decorum,” Nyx said. “Now I'm going to sleep.  If you guys wanna keep arguing, be my guest.”

He disappeared into the smaller tent, and tossed his boots out the flap.  Prompto followed him and listened to the others talk as he drifted off.

“How do you live with these people?” Prompto asked.  Nyx snorted.

“I might have lived in Insomnia, but I sure as hell wasn't one of them,” Nyx said.  He grunted as Somnus settled down between the two men.

“Ugh, Som your breath stinks,” Prompto whined.  Somnus wuffed softly and shut his eyes. “At least we won't be cold.  Good night.”

“Night Blondie.”

“I have a name.”

“I know.  But you're cute when you pout.” Prompto sputtered at the words and was grateful the darkness hid his blush. Gladio joined them in the tent and slid into his own sleeping bag.  He didn't say a word, but his snored quickly filled the tent.

Prompto let out a long breath and used his eyes.  If he was really going to stick with these people, he had better get used to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had to scrap and re-think some of my planning for this fic thanks to the Episode Ardyn Prologue. But I'm going to have a lot of fun doing it.
> 
> I've also gone ahead and added the endgame ship for Prompto, just so there's no more surprises.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frogs and skewers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not dead! Only distracted by other fics. Plus I'm getting to that point where there's gonna be a lot of summarizing, and the only details are gonna be in the differences.

Noctis had made the mistake of talking to Dr. Yaeger because now, they were knee deep in the Slough, Lunafreya was plastered in mud while Noctis taught her how to catch frogs.  Prompto had only known her for three days, but the smile on her face was the freest he’d seen her so far.

They trekked back to the rest stop and handed over the frogs.  Gladio was looking increasingly impatient to move on to Lestallum, but they had been unfortunately stuck by the Slough due to a lack of funds and frogs.  They had obtained a set of tags for Lunafreya, after a hefty sum was handed over to the tipster to keep him quiet. Which, they were hoping to earn back by immediately picking up three hunts from him.  And with a party of six people, the three hunts were completed quickly enough. 

Lunafreya was beginning to slow, so Prompto matched his pace to hers.  She gave a small smile. 

“You need not slow yourself for me,” she said.  Prompto shrugged.

“Those guys are cut from a different cloth.  They’re trained for this kind of thing,” Prompto said.

“And you’re not?  You’re a hunter, Prompto.  You’re far more suited to this lifestyle than anyone of us.  Except perhaps Nyx,” Lunafreya said. Prompto hummed.

“Still though.  There’s no need for us to make you feel like you can’t keep up.  Pretty soon you’ll be running ahead of us all.”

“That’s a sweet sentiment, but I doubt it.” Lunafreya had a melancholy look on her face, as if resigned to something.

“You're not expecting to die on this trip, are you?” Prompto asked.

“The Six demand much of the Chosen Oracle and King.  It is unlikely I will be strong enough to finish the journey, by the time our business with the Hydrean in Altissia is concluded.”

Prompto froze.

“Are you saying you're going to die?” he asked.

“If we cannot find a way to avert the prophecy, yes.  I will likely have the strength to awaken Leviathan, and if her wrath does not kill me, I will likely die from the toll it all takes on my body.”

“What will the world do without you  I mean, you’re the Oracle!” Prompto exclaimed.  He rushed to catch up with her.

“If I should die without a successor, Eos shall fall to darkness, and the scourge will only grow stronger.”

“Does Noctis know?” Lunafreya shook her head, a sad smile gracing her features

“Not yet.  He has had to deal with much, these last few days.  I would not wish to burden him further with this knowledge,” she said. “Please, dear Prompto, do not despair.  I have hope that we can change our future, and I will live to see it.”

Lunafreya reached for his hand and they walked back to the Crow’s Nest, hand in hand, while the others walked ahead.  They turned in their hunt trophies and were handed their reward. It was time to head for Lestallum.

 

He glanced in the mirror to check on the Regalia.  Through their window he could see Lunafreya leaning over into Ignis’s space to get a good look at the Disc.  They drove on.

It wasn’t raining in Lestallum, thankfully, and they didn’t look too out of place among all the other refugees they could see.  Prompto reached into the glove compartment and produced a Hammerhead Garage cap.

“Here, Lunafreya, we should try to hide your face a bit.  The Imperial presence is a bit more conspicuous in town, and we don’t want anyone noticing you,” Prompto said.

“Capital idea.  I also suggest we address you by a different name while we are here,” Ignis said.  Lunafreya placed the cap on her head and tilted the bill low enough to shadow her face.

“Call me Lou,” she said.  Prompto smiled. It wasn’t too obvious, and would make it more likely she’d remember to answer to it.  

“Lou it is,” Noct said.

“Iris is at the Leville, let’s go,” Gladio said.  He trudged across the street and nearly lost them all.  The group jogged after him. The Leville was the nicest building in town, if Prompto was honest, and he had never actually stayed there before.  Let alone stepped into the lobby.

“Gladdy!”

Iris Amicitia was not at all what Prompto was expecting.  Compared to her brother, she was tiny. She was petite, and shorter than Lunafreya, and when Gladio hugged her she nearly disappeared in his arms.

She dragged the whole team up to the rooms she was staying in, along with an elderly gentleman, and his grandson.  The pair if unknowns were introduced and they sat together. Gladio kept his sister close, and eventually they started to nod off, despite the early hour.

Noct was knocked out on one of the beds, and Ignis drifted off as well, next to him.  Nyx fell asleep sitting on the couch, and Luna leaned heavily against him. Prompto awkwardly set in his chair and waited, unsure of what to do.  Their party was pretty ragtag, and he had no clue what exactly what the plan was when it came to the Astrals. Eventually, even Prompto dozed off in his chair.

 

He awoke when his phone clattered to the floor. Ignis sat up, a dagger in hand before anyone else could react.

“Sorry,” Prompto whispered. Ignis relaxed and let go of the dagger.  Prompto picked up his phone to see everyone else stirring. Luna daintily wiped a trail of drool from her chin and massaged the crick in her neck.

“Go ‘way Iggy,” Noctis mumbled from the bed.  Ignis simply dragged the blankets off him proceeded to roll him out of the bed on onto the floor. “Iggyyyyy.”

“Come now, Noct, we've wasted enough of the day. We need to take stock of our supplies and see what we can find here in town.”

“Lestallum has just about everything.  Besides Insomnia it's the biggest city in Lucis,” Prompto said. “I can show you guys around if you'd like.”

“Thank you Prompto. I do believe I will take you up on that offer.”

“If it's all right with all of you, I’ll stay here,” Nyx said.  He still looked half asleep. “The last couple of days are finally catching up to me.”

“Of course.  Lady Lunafreya, Noctis, would either of you like to come along?” Ignis asked.

“Oh, yes, definitely,” Luna agreed readily and stood up.  She put her cap back on and placed her hands on her hips.

“Yeah, I guess,” Noct mumbled.

The four of them trudged down the stairs, out of the cool lobby air and into Lestallum’s humid heat.  Noctis made an aggrieved noise in his throat.

“Ugh, why is it so hot here?”

“The energy that the Meteor gives off makes for hot weather here.  But it’s also a near endless supply of energy, making it a hub in the center of Lucis, and a safe haven to all,” Ignis said. “I imagine we will likely see a number of refugees here.”

“Yeah, and more of the Empire too.  Be careful,” Prompto said. He had noticed the Imperial banners hanging from the walls near the parking lot.  They certainly worked fast. Noctis and Ignis took off their jackets and stored them away. While still dressed in royal black, at least the Crownsguard seal was no longer visible on either of them.

“So Lestallum is pretty big, and there’s a huge open air market in the city center.  Lots of street vendors, and you can buy just about anything at the market. There’s also a few tipsters in town. so if we need more gil, we can do that too,” Prompto said as they walked.

“Wonderful.  Especially with so many mouths to feed, we will definitely need to stock up on groceries,” Ignis said.  Lunafreya looped her arm in Promptos and leaned into him.

“Brigadier General Caligo Ulldor is here,” she whispered.  Prompto swept his gaze across the square and spotted a man dressed in Imperial armor.

“We shouldn’t stay too long.  Grab what we need, spend the night and head out first thing in the morning,” Noct said. Ignis nodded his agreement.

“Prompto, could you show me to the observation point to look at the Disc?” Lunafreya asked.  She put on an absolutely terrible Duscaen accent to disguise her voice.

“Oh, yeah, definitely.  This way Lou, you’ll love the view,” Prompto said. “You two gonna be alright on your own?”

“Yeah, yeah, have fun on your date, Lou,” Noctis said in a teasing tone.  Lunafreya surprised them all by sticking her tongue out at him.

“I could say the same to you,” she said. “Come on Prompto, let’s go.”

Prompto lead Lunafreya away from the market, and down passed the square of restaurants and cafes.  

“You okay?  I wasn’t expecting to see a high ranking Imperial here.”

“Caligo Ulldor is a cruel man who believes himself so powerful that he answers to no one, not even the Emperor.  He has struck me, more than once. Never in sight, nor where anyone could see any marks. He fears my brother too much.” Lunafreya shuddered, and her grip on Prompto’s arm tightened.

“I’ll - we’ll keep you safe,” Prompto said.  Lunafreya smiled and stood on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek.  Prompto could feel his face turning bright red at the action.

“Thank you Prompto.  You’re very sweet.”

They came to the observation point and Prompto paid a couple gil so Lunafreya could look through the binoculars.

“Oh, you can just see the Archaean from here.  Sleeping of course, as all the Astrals are, right now,” she said.  She tilted the binoculars and frowned. “There’s an Imperial blockade too.  I suppose we will have to break through it in order to get to Titan. I still have no idea what we’ll do when we get there, either.”  The timer ran out on the binoculars and she straightened up.

“I suppose we can have a meeting when we get back to the hotel.  I’m sure we can come up with something,” Prompto said. Lunafreya hummed.  They walked away from the observation point and back up to the main street.

“Oh, something smells lovely,” she said.  Lunafreya tilted her face up to the sky and took a deep breath.  “Something deliciously spicy.”

“I think those are the semur skewers you’re smelling.  This way.”

Lunafreya latched onto Prompto’s hand again, and he pulled her towards one of the street vendors.

“Semur skewers?”

“They’re a Galahdian dish, meaty, and spicy, and they’re pretty cheap,” Prompto said.  He bought her a skewer, and watched with amusement as the Oracle ate hand-held street food off a stick.

“Oh, this is wonderful!  Do you think perhaps Ignis would be able to make this?” she crowed.  She took another bite while Prompto bought enough for everyone.

“If not him, Nyx could probably help him out.  He is Galahdian.”

“Oh, yes, of course.  Shall we?”

Lunafreya finished her skewer and tossed the stick in a nearby trash can.  They headed back to the Leville and up to the room. Prompto knocked on the door, and were let in by Nyx.

“Just in time, Ignis has an idea.  Ah, and you’ve brought snacks,” he said with a grin.  Nyx reached for Prompto’s bag of skewers and pulled one out. “Oh man, it’s a piece of home.”

The skewers were distributed and Ignis stood up and looked around the room.

“If we wish to change Noct and Lady Lunafreya’s fate, then we mustn’t play by the rules set before us by the Astrals.  I have a proposition for how we might do that.”

“Let’s hear it then, Iggy,” Gladio said.

“I propose, that we kill the Six.”


End file.
